Category Amazing Places

          The Serengeti is a world famous ecosystem in East-Central Africa, located in north 4100 Tanzania, and extending to southwestern Kenya. Its area is as vast as 30,000 square kilometres, giving rise to its name which means ‘endless plains’ in the Maasai language.

          Much of the Serengeti was known to outsiders as Maasai land. The Maasai are known as fierce warriors.

          The most important part of the Serengeti is the national park in it with the same name that is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. There are as well a number of other protected reserves and conservation areas in this region as well, like the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

          However, the spot is most famous for having the largest mammal migration in the world and, is a popular destination of African safaris.

          Some of the most commonly found mammals in Serengeti include gazelles, zebras, African buffaloes, waterbucks etc.

          The Okavango Delta is a unique wetland in Botswana that covers an area of about 16,800 square kilometres. A wetland is a place where the water is shallow, and the soil is very soggy.

          What makes the Okavango Delta special is that it is one of the world’s largest inland river deltas, as well as a breathtaking sight.

          The source of the delta is the Okavango River, one of the longest rivers in southern Africa. It is interesting to see how the delta is formed. The Okavango River, which begins in the mountains of Central Angola, flows southward, and reaches the Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana. There, it spreads out to form the delta. Interestingly, both the river and the delta are named after the Okavango people of northern Namibia. It is also home to some of the most endangered species of mammals like the white rhinoceros, cheetah.

          Victoria Falls is one of the biggest and most impressive waterfalls on Earth. It is located in the middle of the Zambezi River. It is said that almost 600 million cubic litres of water hit the ground every minute from the waterfalls! It has been described by CNN as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

          Although the falls is popularly known as ‘Victoria’, locals in the area call it ‘Mosi-oa-Tun-ya’, meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’, because of its noise and water splashes. It was the Scottish missionary David Livingstone who named this wonder in November 1855, after Queen Victoria of Britain.

          Apart from its beauty, the Victoria Falls is also important for other reasons. It supplies energy to several cities in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Boaruka Island and the Living-stone Island are the two islands that are situated on the crest of the falls.

          There are many labels and descriptions given to the majestic Victoria. One such popular description in modern terms is this- the greatest curtain of falling water in the world! 

          The Namib Desert is best known as one of the oldest deserts in the world, and has been in existence for over 50 million years! It is also one of the largest ones, stretching along the Atlantic coasts of Namibia, Angola, and South Africa.

          The term ‘Namib’ is said to have originated from the Nama language, in which it means ‘vast area’.

          There are many reasons why this coastal desert remains a wonderful sight. It has beautiful sand dunes and rugged mountains. It is also an important location for the mining of materials like diamonds, and tungsten.

          Apart from these, the Namib is also home to a number of strange plants and animals that can be found nowhere else in the world. An example for this is the shrub like plant named Welwitschia mirabilis that grows just two leaves, but lives for over 1000 years. Then, there are animals like the mountain zebra, gemsbok etc. 

          Mount Kilimanjaro is famous across the globe for being the highest point in Africa. It stands at a height of 5,895 metres. The most important fact about Mount Kilimanjaro is that it is not really a mountain as such, but a dormant volcano, made up of three volcanic cones named Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. The first two are extinct, meaning they cannot erupt again, but Kibo is dormant, and there are chances of it erupting in future.

          Another fact about Kilimanjaro is that it is one of the Seven Summits in the world. More than 1000 square kilometres around the mountain are known to be covered by thick forests that accommodate as many as 140 different species of animals.

          The summit of the mountain, on the other hand, is covered by glaciers and snow. It was in 1889 that the first ascent to the peak was recorded, by Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller.