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THE NILE RIVER
The longest river in the world. The Nile is 4145 miles long.
The
main tributaries are the Blue and White Nile rivers. One of
the man-made
wonders of Africa, the High Aswan dam, which holds Lake
Nasser, is situated on
the Nile river. The Nile delta is famous as the cradle of
the first civilization of
Africa - ancient Egypt, the most famous wonder of the world,
the Great Pyramid;
the birth place of Moses, and the first (papyrus)
paper.
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
The highest mountain in Africa and unique as the highest
mountain in the world
from the surrounding floor to the summit. It is located in
northern Tanzania, near
the border with Kenya. The two peaks of Kilimanjaro stand
over 6 miles apart.
Both are volcanic. The crater of Kibo is covered with ice
that reflects a very beautiful blue
hue.
THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY
The valley is actually the effect of massive fracture lines
below the earth's surface
and runs over 3100 miles from Lake Baikal in the north to
Mozambique in the south.
The valley contains the planet's largest concentration of
flamingoes, the seven Great
Lakes of Kenya, and overwhelmingly dramatic scenery. Lake
Victoria, located in the
Great Rift Valley is one of the three largest lakes in the
world. In Kenya the Rift
Valley is so deep and sharply defined that it can be clearly
seen from space. The
valley is about 31 miles wide and as deep as 9850 feet
in the central highlands.
THE SERENGETI PLAINS
There are 9,173 square miles of the Serengeti plains. They
reach up to the Kenya
border and reach almost to Lake Victoria. The plains
are home to all kinds of wildlife.
It is thought that over 3 million large mammals roam the
plains. In late May and early
June you can witness the annual migration of zebra and wilde
beast in search of water
and food before the seasons change. The Serengeti
plains are home to Africa's largest
concentration of lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and
jackals. You will also see
giraffe, rhino, elephant and hippopotamus.
THE SAHARA DESERT
The is the largest desert in the world. Its total area is
more than
3.5 million square miles and of which only some two per
cent
consists of fertile oases. Most areas of the Sahara obtain
less than 5 inches of rain per
year. Temperatures are extreme, ranging from freezing to
over
120 degrees Fahrenheit.
THE VICTORIA FALLS
Known to Africans as Mosi-Oa-Tunya or "the smoke that
thunders," the falls are
majestic in their splendor as they tumble in curtains of
water to the gorge below.
The Zambezi river which feeds the falls is nearly 1 mile
wide at this point and plunges
320 feet over the cliffs. Five separate falls make up the
Victoria falls:
Devil's Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls
and Eastern
Cataract. When the Zambezi is at its height, the water races
over its edge at
speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. "Scenes
so
lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."
So exclaimed the first
European missionary-visitor, Dr David Livingstone, in
1855.
TABLE MOUNTAIN
Table Mountain has stood as the symbol for the Cape of Good
Hope for
centuries. It holds an important place in the hearts of all
South Africans. It serves
the important needs of bio-diversity, visual harmony,
spiritual fulfilment, recreation
and tourism. It is also the graveyard of the forefathers of
Islam in Southern Africa
who sought refuge in its welcoming ravines. It is believed
by many to be one of the
four most powerful vortexes of energy on Earth and,
according to the legend of
the Khoisan people, houses the spirit of "Mother
Africa".
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