Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and the flag is displayed in Cape Town and other local government insignia. This is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. Mount is part of the Table Mountain National Park.

The main feature of Table Mountain is a plateau level of about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from side to side, edged by cliffs are impressive. Plateau, flanked by Devil Peak to the east and by Lion Head to the west, forming a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep height of the mountains, together with Signal Hill, forming a natural amphitheater of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbor. The highest point on Table Mountain is towards the eastern end of the plateau and is marked by Maclear Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey. It is 1086 meters (3563 feet) above sea level, about 19 meters (62 feet) higher than the cable station at the western end of the plateau.

Table Mountain is probably one of the few natural appearance that is unique in the world, with a view of the mountain with a flat top and unique, the object even this became one of the world's natural wonders candidate.

Read More..

Robben Island

Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². The island is composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks belonging to the Malmesbury Group. It is of particular note as it was here that past President of South Africa Nelson Mandela and Kgalema Motlanthe, alongside many other political prisoners, spent decades imprisoned during the apartheid era. Among those political prisoners was current South African President Jacob Zuma who was imprisoned there for ten years.

Since the end of the 17th century, Robben Island has been used for the isolation of mainly political prisoners. The Dutch settlers were the first to use Robben Island as a prison. Its first prisoner was probably Harry die strandloper in the mid-17th century. Amongst its early permanent inhabitants were political leaders from various Dutch colonies, including Indonesia. After a failed uprising at Grahamstown in 1819, the fifth of the Xhosa Wars, the British colonial government sentenced African leader Makanda Nxele to life imprisonment on the island . He drowned on the shores of Table Bay after escaping the prison.

The island was also used as a leper colony and animal quarantine station. Starting in 1845 lepers from the Hemel-en-Aarde (heaven and earth) leper colony near Caledon were moved to Robben Island when Hemel-en-Aarde was found unsuitable as a leper colony. Initially this was done on a voluntary basis and the lepers were free to leave the island if they so wished. In April 1891 the cornerstones for 11 new buildings to house lepers were laid. After the introduction of the Leprosy Repression Act in May 1892 admission was no longer voluntary and the movement of the lepers was restricted. Prior to 1892 an average of about 25 lepers a year were admitted to Robben Island, but in 1892 that number rose to 338, and in 1893 a further 250 were admitted.

Read More..

Plane Tickets to South Africa

Plane Tickets to South Africa. South Africa is a country with three capitals, eleven official languages and hundreds of ‘must visit’ locations. A decent tour of the country would take weeks – possibly months – and a thorough understanding of the nation’s difficult history would take even longer. Still, a short trip might be just the convincing you need to return to this beautiful area again and again. Top attractions in South Africa include Cape Town’s Table Mountain, sampling the wine regions and taking a safari in Kruger National Park. For more information on South Africa, check out check out BootsnAll’s South Africa Travel Guide.

South Africa flights arrive in a vast country that has hugely diverse landscapes, and an equally varied people. Flights to South Africa, taking around twelve hours non stop and up to eighteen hours via Europe, bring you to an exhilarating destination; a nation still developing its identity after the post-apartheid era. Flights arrive into Johannesburg and Cape Town.A paradise for any natural history enthusiast, South Africa is home to a multitude of National Parks, such as those of Kruger and Kgalagadi. The second highest waterfall in the world is here, the Tungela falls, and one of the most popular areas is that of the Garden Route, running from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth, along the country's southern coast and close to Cape Town. Hiking is a popular activity all over South Africa, and Durban offers both beaches and a fabulous Indian Market, whilst Port Elizabeth offers swimming and scuba diving activities. There is even a surfing scene at Jeffreys Bay, and the city of Cape Town is a must-see. Add in areas such as Sun City and the Drakensburgs mountains and you are spoilt for choice.

The three main international airports in South Africa are in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg (affectionately known as “Jo’burg”).  And plane tickets to south africa tend to be available outside of the popular school holiday seasons.

There are six different airlines which offer domestic flights in South Africa. They are 1Time Airways, kulula.com, British Airways, Mango Airlines, Nationwide Air and South African Airways. Each Airline offers diferent Routes and Pricing stuctures and all operate out of South Africa's 10 Domestic and International Airports.

But, whichever search tool you choose, here are a few tips to help you find plane tickets to south africa:

    * Johannesburg and Cape Town will usually have the cheapest international fares.
    * Depart on midweek low-volume travel days.

Read More..

Madagascar

Madagascar / Republic of Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa. The island of Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. In addition to the main island, some small islands around it also claims the republic, namely the island of Juan de Nova, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Tromelin Island Island, and Bassas da India. Although geographically close to Africa, the history of geology, biology, and demography of Madagascar is different from the mainland continent.

Madagascar is an old land, the same as Australia, so that soil mineral scarcity of food due to the absence of volcanic activity. Most soil is red, indicating the state land that has been decaying.

As a result of hundreds of millions of years of isolation, the flora and fauna of Madagascar is very typical and many endemic species found there. More than 80% of the flora and fauna that exist in Madagascar, which could not be found anywhere else in the world. But the fourth largest forest in the world is also in danger. Forest ecosystems destroyed by logging and large-scale burning for agriculture and livestock building. Than 120,000 square meters, now the extent of living 20,000. If nothing is done to save this forest, Madagascar can be lost within 35 years.

Read More..

The Congo Basin - Forest

Congo Basin rainforest is the world's second largest after the Amazon which accounted for 40% of oxygen contribute to the world. Forests exist in the western part of Africa is also a source of food, medicines and minerals.

A very wide area hosts a wealth of biodiversity, including more than 10,000 plant species, 1,000 bird species and 400 mammal species, and three of the four species of great ape world. It is also home to more than 24 million people, many who depend on forests for their livelihoods. Congo basin forests are not only plays an important role for the conservation of global biodiversity, they also provide vital ecological services of regional and global carbon sequestration and the catch basin.

Although much remains intact forest areas, forest ecosystems continue to be at risk areas of a complex set of threats that calls for joint global action: unsustainable timber and mineral extraction, bush meat trade in the market for commercial and residential urban forestry, land clearing for agriculture, and weak governance.

And the UN also reported that about 2 / 3 of forest area and its vegetation and wildlife in it, will disappear by 2040, except for protection of human action. Covering an area of ​​10 million hectares of forest each year diminished because of illegal logging, the expansion of mining land and built farms. Not only are forests that are threatened with extinction, but also endangered animals like mountain gorillas, forest elephants, chimpanzees and the Okapi (mammal-like giraffe and zebra).

Read More..

Eye of the Sahara

Eye of the Sahara, is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane. It has attracted attention since the early space missions because it forms conspicuous bull's-eye on the otherwise rather featureless expanse of desert. Structure, which has a diameter of about 50 kilometers (31 miles) and is located 400-450 meters (1.310 to 1.480 ft) above sea level, has become important for the crew of the shuttle.

Eye of the Sahara is very visible at all when seen from space. And this place is still considered mysterious.

Read More..

National Zoological Gardens of South Africa

The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (also informally known as The Pretoria Zoo) is the national zoo of South Africa,  with National Status and is rated as one of the top zoos in the world, attracting hundreds and thousands of local and international visitors annually. It is situated in the city of Pretoria and was founded by J. W. B. Gunning.The zoo was originally established at the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899, and became the official National Zoological Gardens in 1916

Around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) of pathways are laid out in the zoo. Golf carts are available for rent for those that prefer not to walk; most, but not all of the exhibits are accessible by golf cart.
There are two restaurants located within the zoo and a picnic area on the banks of the Apies River. And a crafts market is located outside zoo entrance.

 The 80-hectare Zoo in Pretoria houses 2586 specimens of 126 mammal species, 1425 specimens of 158 bird species, 4189 specimens of 283 fish species, 235 specimens of 21 invertebrate species, 447 specimens of 90 reptile species, and 29 specimens of 4 amphibian species. And the total length of the walkways in the Zoo in Pretoria is approximately 6km.

An Aquarium and Reptile Park also form part of the Zoo facility in Pretoria. The Aquarium is the largest inland marine aquarium in the country. The third largest collection of exotic trees can be found at the Zoo.

The Zoo also offer exciting tours:
* Aquarium tours - explore the fascinating world of underwater life by attending an evening tour through the National Zoological Gardens aquarium.

* Night tours - treat your family to an exciting adventure. Go on a night tour and explore the fascinating world of our nocturnal animals.

Read More..

Hottest Temperature Ever earth

 The hottest places in the world, the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth is an area in El Azizia, Sahara on 13 September 1922 is at 57.8 ° C (136 ° F). The number is recorded by the local meteorological station. Previous hottest temperature at 56.7 ° C (134 ° F) are in Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913. From July 6 until August 17, 1917 for 43 consecutive days in Death Valley temperatures are above 48 ° C (120 ° F). Even so, where on earth it was the driest in the Atacama desert, which actually has quite a lot of water content, which only receives an average rainfall per year 0.01 cm. Several locations in the Atacama desert never even rain for 400 years! But some new facts to say that the driest places in the world is located on the Antarctic continent, where the last time this continent received rainfall is a few million years ago.

Not only in El Azizia and Death Valley course, extreme hot temperatures also have occurred in several places dibelahan world are:
Hottest temperature ever happened in Cloncury, Australia. The temperature reached 53.1 'C, on January 16, 1889.
Hottest temperature ever happening in the city of Seville, Spain. The temperature reached 50'C on August 4, 1981.

Read More..