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Historic Places in Africa
Africa is home to a number of striking historic places. The continent is famous for mountain ranges, rivers, and especially ancient architecture. This article makes an effort to highlight some of the prevalent places in Africa.
The first is the Nile River, located in the northeast part of Africa stretches from 6,650 km passing through 11 eleven countries until it flows into the ocean. It is known to be the longest river in the world. The countries this river flows through include Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia (Hurst, n.d.). Interestingly, unlike other rivers, the Nile flows from the south (Kagera River in Burundi) to the north all the way to Egypt. This river is unexplainably able to flood in the warmest time of the year. Before the 20th Century, the Nile was widely used for transport until the road, air, and rail transport improved which greatly reduced the dependence of the Nile for transport.
The second historic place in Africa is the Valley of the Kings, which is located to the west of the Nile in Upper Egypt. This place is known to be the burial site for almost all the pharaohs (kings of Egypt) between the 18th and the 20th dynasties (1539-1075 BC). The tombs sink really deep consisting of corridors and deep shafts to baffle robbers. The burial chamber where the royal mummy is kept also has furniture and equipment which the king is supposed to use in the next world. The walls of these places are usually covered with paintings depicting the dead king in the presence of deities alluding to the relationship of the kings with the deities of the time. (Dorman, n.d.).
Last but obviously not least of the historic sites of Africa, located on the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe, spots of the largest waterfall in the world. The Victoria Falls stands at 108 meters high and close to 2 kilometers wide. It is believed that a British explorer David Livingstone was the first European to see the falls in 1855 and named it Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The Victoria Falls is known to fall in a deep fissure on the earth’s surface and not an open basin below. This place attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world and the surrounding area is made as a national park that offers recreational facilities. The surrounding forest comprises species of acacia and figs. A breed of Antelopes called the Klipspringers and hippopotamuses are commonly seen near the falls. Roaming in the forests are elephants, giraffes, zebras etc.The rock cliffs are also home to falcons, eagles and buzzards. (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.)
References
Dorman, P. F. (n.d.). Valley of the Kings | archaeological site, Egypt. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 5, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Valley-of-the-Kings
Hurst, H. E. (n.d.). Nile River | Delta, Map, Basin, Length, Facts, Definition, Map, History, & Location. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 5, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River
Okello, A. (2021, March 22). African Landmarks – 25 Famous Landmarks of Africa. Destguides. https://www.destguides.com/en/itineraries/famous-landmarks-africa
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Victoria Falls | Location, Map, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 5, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Victoria-Falls-waterfall-Zambia-Zimbabwe
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