My Science School

          Located in Aswan, in Southern Egypt, the Abu Simbel is yet another work of wonder that fascinates travellers across the world. It is a complex of two massive rock temples, carved into a mountainside on the west bank of the Nile River. There are many debates regarding the construction of this epic complex. But what remains universally accepted is that the structures were built by Pharaoh Ramses II, sometimes in the 13th century. It is said to have taken twenty long years for the completion of work.

          However, despite its grand size, the Abu Simbel complex was covered by desert sand for hundreds of years. It remained forgotten until a Swiss scholar named Jean-Louis Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1813. But he couldn’t dig out an entry to the temple. In 1817, an Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni managed to enter the temple complex, and reintroduced it to the world.

          In 1968, the complex was relocated in its entirety on an artificial hill made from a domed structure above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.

            Bagamoyo is a famous town in Tanzania that is at once beautiful and disturbing. It is beautiful for its cultural heritage, but disturbing for its history of slavery.

            Founded at the end of the 18th century, Bagamoyo is situated 72 kilometres north of Dar es Salaam. Under German rule, it was the first capital of Tanzania. This place was also famous for the ivory trade, besides slavery.

            Presently, the Bagamoyo town is the capital of the Bagamoyo district. The name of the place has been derived from the Swahili words ‘bwagamoyo’, meaning ‘throw down your heart’.

            There are many important sites in the town, like the ‘Bagamoyo Church’ which was perhaps the first on the East Coast of Africa, the ‘Bagamoyo Museum’ that preserves old photos and remains of the slave trade and the Kaole ruins of the 12th century. Another important place is the Ruvu River Delta, a paradise for birds.

            In addition to these, the Bagamoyo white sand beaches are something known to leave visitors fascinated. They are among the finest beaches on the whole of the East African coast. 

          There are numerous reasons why South Africa remains a traveller’s favourite. One of it is the famous Table Mountain that overlooks the capital city of Cape Town. In fact, it is one of the few natural wonders that are located in the middle of a major city.

          Geographically, the Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain. The major attraction here is the national park with the same name, situated close by. The region is known to be one of the richest areas for plants in the world, with numerous unique species. The most important ones among them are the 1460 varieties of fynbos, a unique kind of vegetation and the rare amphibian Table Mountain Ghost Frogs.

          Adding to the attractions of the mountain is the enchanting cableway that takes visitors to the plateau at its top. The upper cable station offers a breathtaking sight of the Cape Town, Table Bay and Robben Island to the north, and the Atlantic seaboard to the west and south. The mountain is also a popular destination among hikers and para-gliders across the globe. 

Seychelles, officially, the Republic of Seychelles, is one of the most attractive tropical islands in the world. It is an archipelago located 1600 kilometres east of the African coast in the Indian Ocean, consisting of 115 islands. The capital city is Victoria on the Mahe Island, which is the largest of all.

The most fascinating feature of the island includes the beaches. It also has to its credit six marine national parks and a wide variety of marine life. Specifically, the island is home to a large number of Aldabra tortoises, and the hawksbill sea turtles.

Cousin Island on the archipelago is the best place to see these turtles as the nesting population here is very high. Besides, Seychelles is considered to be the best destination for scuba divers. 

          Fez is best known to the world as the cultural centre of Morocco. It was founded in 789 by Idris I. Until 1925, Fez was the capital city of the country. Even today it remains the best-conserved city of the Arab world, and is an international destination.

          The most attractive features of the city include its splendid architecture, and historical remains. Fez is divided into three zones. Among these, the most popular is the Fez el Bali Medina. The historical quarter and traditional houses make it an altogether interesting place for travellers. It is also one of the world’s largest urban pedestrian zones.

          According to some historians, the Medina of Fez is among the best conserved historic towns of the Arab world.

          Another prominent place in the city is the University of Al Quaraouiyine, founded in AD 859. It is the oldest continuously functioning university in the world today. Fez is known by different names across the world, popularly as the ‘Athens of Africa’.

 

           If you are one who has seen a huge mountain in real life, there is little chance that you went away without appreciating its grandeur. Such is the glory that structures like mountains have. And if it is something like Mount Kenya, it cannot but leave a spectator spellbound.

           Located in Kenya, Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. It stands at a height of 5199 metres above sea level, making it one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

           Mount Kenya is an ancient extinct volcano which was active thousands of years ago. Currently, there are eleven small, shrinking glaciers on the mountain.

           There are three major peaks on the mountain- Batian, Nelion and Lenana. The first persons to climb Batian were Sir Halford John Mackinder, Josef Brocherel, and Cesar Oilier.

 

 

          Located in North Africa, the Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.

           Geographically, the Sahara Desert covers as many as eleven different countries including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan, with an area of around 9.4 million square kilometres.

          The term ‘Sahara’ has its origin in the Arabic language, meaning ‘desert’. Predictably, it is one of the most consistently hottest places in the world.

          On the other hand, it can drop below freezing point rapidly at nights. In general, the climate is hot, dry, and windy. While it rarely rains in some parts, there are regions which do not see a drop of rain in years!

          All this makes Sahara an inhospitable place to live. It is estimated that only less than 2.5 million people live in the region, despite its vastness.

          The highest point in the desert is the volcano named Emi Koussi in Chad. Historians note that thousands of years ago, the Sahara Desert had enough water to let people live well.

 

          The Pyramids of Giza are something most of us are familiar with.

          The Great Pyramid is one of the oldest structures in the world today. The magnificent structure was built for the Pharaoh Khufu, around 2560 BC. In fact, it is part of a complex of three large pyramids in the Giza Necropolis located in modern Cairo, Egypt. The other two are the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. Along with these, the complex also consists of a majestic Sphinx statue.

          There are various stories regarding the construction and completion of the pyramids and it is believed to have taken around 20 years to complete the works.

          Inside the Great Pyramid, there are three major rooms - the King’s Chamber, the Queen’s Chamber, and the Grand Gallery. There are also small tunnels and air shafts that lead to the chambers from outside. Incidentally, the Great Pyramid remained the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3800 years.

 

          The island nation of Madagascar is a place unique for its ecosystem and extraordinary wildlife. It is the fourth largest island in the world, and is located in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa.

          Experts have found out that approximately around 90 per cent of the reptiles, plants and mammals seen in the country exist nowhere else in the world! Due to its ecological diversity, Madagascar is sometimes referred to as the ‘eighth continent’ by ecologists.

          One of the unique animals found in the country is a lemur known as the silky sifaka, which is a critically threatened species. The island is also home to the rare ploughshare tortoise whose population today is just less than 1000. Similarly, there are more than 11000 endemic plant species, and a variety of mammals, and amphibians present on the island. Therefore, Madagascar is thought to be one of the most amazing places to visit across the world.

 

          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.

 

          One of the most attractive places in Africa, the Lamu Island, is a part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya. The island stands out for its beauty.

          Geographically, the island is composed of a town and three villages - Shela, Matondoni and Kipungani. When one reaches the land, one cannot wait for a taxi or any other motor vehicle, simply because there aren’t any on the island! Yes, that is one of the major features of Lamu that people use only non-motor modes of transportation like donkeys, bicycles etc.

          The most important part of the island is the Lamu Old Town, which was once a major trading centre in coastal East Africa. It is also a historically important centre of Swahili culture, as well as religion.

          Some of the historic sites here include the German Post Office and the Lamu Fort. Another sight that stirs wonder in the mind of any traveller is the use of coral stone and mangrove timber throughout the island, which is a Swahili feature.

 

          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.