Africa is home to vast expanses of unspoiled nature and landscapes filled with wild animals, diverse landscapes and eclectic cultures. The earth is therefore full of wonders, but seven of these wonders stand out from the rest and were selected by popular vote on February 11, 2013. Here we present the list of “Seven Natural Wonders of Africa”.
7. Red Sea Reef
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet in the Indian Ocean located between Asia and Africa. The Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab el Mandeb connect the Red Sea to the ocean. The sea rests on the Red Sea rift, which has been chosen as one of the Seven Wonders of Africa. The Red Sea occupies an area of 169,000 square miles and is 1,400 long and 221 wide. The maximum depth of the Red Sea is 7,254 feet. The extensive shallow network of Red Sea shelves is known for its corals and his marine life. Of the 1,000 and 200 invertebrate species, the hard and soft coral species live in the Red Sea. About 10% of the more than 1,200 fish species found in the Red Sea are endemic. The fringing coral reefs of the sea have about 5,000 to 7, 000 years and are formed mainly of porite corals and acropores. The reef habitat is associated with various characteristics such as platforms, lagoons, cylinders, etc. Nearly 44 species of sharks visit the Red Sea reefs.
6. Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is a massive expanse of marshy deltas located inland, where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough. The delta is located in the central region of the endorheic Kalahari basin. The river water never reaches the ocean and evaporates during the dry season. On the eastern coast of the Okavango Delta is the Moremi Game Reserve. The region is home to a great diversity of wild species: African bush elephant, hippopotamus, South African cheetah, South-West African lion, African buffalo, superior kudu, rhino, chacma baboon, etc. Due to its magnificence and scale, the Okavango Delta has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro crater is the main feature of the Ngorongoro conservation area, a World Heritage and protected site located west of Arusha in Tanzania. The Ngorongoro crater is the largest inactive and intact volcanic caldera in the world. The crater was formed almost 2 to 3 millions of years ago when a massive volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. The eastern part of the crater highlands is covered with mountain forests, while the western wall, which is not very rainy, is dominated by meadows and brushwood. The crater floor consists of open meadows and two fever trees dominate small wooded areas. Due to its unique properties, the Ngorongoro Crater is also considered one of the Seven Wonders of Africa.
4. Migration of the Serengeti
The Serengeti is an African ecosystem that stretches from the north of Tanzania to the southwest of Kenya. The Serengeti in Kenya is known as Maasai Mara. The ecosystem hosts the largest migration of terrestrial mammals in the world. The ecoregion is divided into several game reserves and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Besides lions, 70 species of large mammals and 500 species of birds also live here. The landscape of the Serengeti is varied and includes meadows, woods, riverside forests, swamps and kopjes.
Each year, we witness the great circular migration of wildebeest in the Serengeti. Migration begins in the Ngorongoro conservation area in southern Tanzania in the Serengeti. Between January and March, 260,000 zebras, 1.7 million wildebeest, 470,000 gazelles and other plains game begin to migrate. Around February, these animals begin to graze on the short grass plains of the south-eastern part of the Serengeti and give birth to 500,000 calves. The end of the rains in May triggers the movement of animals to the northwest and they stop in the region around the Grumeti River until the end of June. From the end of July to August, the herds arrive and stay in Kenya. The great migration is an eventful journey which bears witness to both the birth and the death of migrants.
3. Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert is the third largest desert in the world after the arctic and cold arctic deserts. Among the hot deserts of the world, the Sahara ranks first. The size of the desert (3,500,000 square miles) is comparable to the size of the United States. The Sahara Desert covers a large part of North Africa, except for the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt and the Nile Valley of Sudan, as well as the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb . The arid desert is not completely lifeless. Several species of foxes, addaxes, dama gazelles, Sahrawi cheetahs, monitor lizards, sand vipers, African wild dogs, ring ostriches, desert crocodiles, Saharan ants, dromedary camels and goats are their homes. The desert is also home to several nomadic or nomadic tribes while some colonies are found in the desert oases. Several tourist activities, such as camping, wildlife observation, cultural tours and camel rides, are organized in parts of the Sahara Desert, under the supervision of experts who know the desert well.
2. Mount Kilimanjaro
A dormant volcano in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. The mountain rises around 16,000 feet from its base to reach an altitude of 19,341 feet above sea level. The mountain is the centerpiece of Kilimanjaro National Park and is also a popular climbing destination. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest volcano in the world outside of South America. The stratovolcano has three distinct cones, the Kibo, the Mawenzi and the Shira. There are official hiking routes leading to the top of the mountain. Among these routes, the Machame is considered the most picturesque. While hiking to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro is not as difficult as climbing the Himalayan or Andean peaks, deaths are not uncommon.
1. the Nile
The list of the Seven Wonders of Africa could never be complete without mentioning the Nile, the longest river in the world. The Nile is the northward flowing river in northeastern Africa. The 4,145 Nile is shared by the countries of the world 11, and in Sudan and Egypt, it is the main source of water for entire populations. The Shore of the Nile ends in a large delta before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt. It is this river that gave birth to Egyptian civilization and the Sudanese kingdoms. Most of Egypt’s main historical and cultural sites are therefore located along the banks of the Nile.
The Seven Natural Wonders of Africa: Unique and Fascinating Travel Destinations
| Rank | Candidate | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red sea reef | Coast of Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan |
| 2 | Mount Kilimanjaro | Tanzania |
| 3 | Sahara desert | Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara |
| 4 | Migration from the Serengeti | Tanzania and Kenya |
| 5 | Ngorongoro Crater | Tanzania |
| 6 | The Nile | Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Eritrea |
| 7 | Okavango Delta | Botswana |