Destination Africa

Situated in southwest Mauritius and surrounded by the most beautiful mountains of the island, the region of Chamarel is home to two natural wonders:

- The 83m (272ft) high Chamarel Waterfalls. They fall from the River St Denis in the Black River Mountains and plunge seaward to form the River du Cap. The site possesses a rare beauty. Wooden walkways from the roadway enable closer views of the waterfalls.

- Seven coloured earth caused by volcanic erosion. Geologists are still intrigued by the rolling dunes of multi-coloured lunar-like landscape. The colours, red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow never erode in spite of torrential downpours and adverse climatic conditions. The phenomena has never been explained but it is believed the earths are composed of mineral rich volcanic ash.

More are awaiting to be discovered by you visiting these small islands in the Indian Ocean.

[Photo 1: Highest waterfall in Mauritius. Photo 2: Seven coloured earth in Chamarel, Mauritius.]

Egypt is perhaps best known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with its temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and pyramids.

Some of the most popular tourist destinations in Egypt are:

• Cairo. The capital of Egypt is home to one of the premier attractions of Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza which represent the archetypal pyramid structures of ancient Egyptian civilisation and - together with the Sphinx at the base of the Giza plateau - the iconic image of Egypt Gizeh in the minds of people worldwide
• Alexandria. Egypt’s second largest city and the country’s window on the Mediterranean Sea, is a faded shade of its former glorious cosmopolitan self, but still worth a visit for its many cultural attractions and memories of a glorious past. Here was located the former Lighthouse (Pharos in Greek), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
  (read more…)

- The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber - who dwelt in North Africa in the Carthage area. The origin of Afer may be connected with Phoenician ‘afar‘ - dust.
- Africa is the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human species originating from the continent. During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago.
- Africa is the world’s second-largest continent, after Asia. At about 30,370,000 km² (11,730,000 mi²) including adjacent islands, it covers 6.0% of the Earth’s total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area.
- Africa is also the world’s second-most populous continent, after Asia. With more than 840,000,000 people (as of 2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for more than 12% of the world’s human population.
- Africa is home to 53 independent countries, which mostly still have the borders drawn during the era of European colonialism.
- Africa’s largest country is Sudan, and its smallest country is the Seychelles, an archipelago off the east coast. The smallest nation on the continental mainland is The Gambia.
- Cairo, the capital city of Egypt, is the most populous city in Africa. It has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15.2 million people.
(read more…)

The reason we decided to we decided to start this blog is because we are fascinated about Africa. Breathtaking scennery, unique wildlife, interesting cultures - this is Africa, the land of diversity.
Welcome to our blog and enjoy the reading!