The Seven Wonders Of Africa (2023-2024 Updates) : Due to its extreme diversity, the African continent is home to a wide variety of unique and endangered wildlife in its numerous diverse landscapes. Not to mention the numerous millions of individuals who reside on the continent. The African continent has something to offer every kind of traveler, from deserts to mountains and savannah plains to coral reefs teeming with life to numerous diverse and fascinating cultures and histories. The land is therefore full of wonders, but seven of these wonders stand out from the rest and were chosen on February 11, 2013, by popular vote. Below are The Seven Natural Wonders of Africa:
- Red Sea Reef
A seawater inlet in the Indian Ocean that separates Asia from Africa is known as the Red Sea. The Red Sea is connected to the ocean by the Bab el Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. The Red Sea Rift, which has been named one of Africa’s Seven Wonders, lies beneath the ocean. The Red Sea is 1,400 miles long and 221 miles wide, covering an area of 169,000 square miles. The Red Sea can go down a maximum of 7254 feet. Corals and other marine life can be found in abundance on the Red Sea’s extensive network of shallow shelves.
The Red Sea is home to 200 types of hard and soft coral as well as more than 1,000 invertebrate species. Around 10% of the Red Sea’s more than 1,200 fish species are endemic to the region. The porites and acropora corals that make up the sea’s fringing coral reefs, which range in age from 5,000 to 7,000 years, are relatively young. Platforms, lagoons, cylinders, and other features are all related to the reef habitat. The Red Sea’s reefs are visited by nearly 44 different shark species.
- Okavango Delta
Where the Okavango River meets a tectonic trough, a vast area of swampy, inland delta known as the Okavango Delta exists. The endorheic basin of the Kalahari is where the delta is situated. During the dry season, the river’s water evaporates and never makes it to the ocean. The Moremi Game Reserve is located on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. African bush elephants, hippopotamuses, South African cheetahs, Southwest African lions, African buffaloes, greater kudus, rhinoceroses, chacma baboons, and other animals inhabit the area. The Okavango Delta has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its grandeur and scope.
- Ngorongoro Crater
The centerpiece of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a World Heritage Site and protected area west of Arusha, is the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact, inactive, and unfilled volcanic caldera in the world. A huge volcano erupted and collapsed on itself nearly 2 to 3 million years ago, creating the crater. While the western wall of the crater highlands, which receives little rainfall, has a landscape dominated by grassland and bushland, the eastern side is covered in montane forest. Two fever trees dominate the small wooded areas and the open grassland that make up the crater’s floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is considered one of Africa’s Seven Wonders because of its special qualities.
- Serengeti Migration
The African ecosystem known as the Serengeti stretches from south-western Kenya to northern Tanzania. The largest migration of terrestrial mammals occurs in this ecosystem. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and several other game reserves make up the ecoregion. Along with lions, this area is home to 500 different species of birds and 70 different large mammal species. The Serengeti has a diverse landscape with grasslands, wooded areas, riverine forests, swamps, and kopjes.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the southern Serengeti, Tanzania, is where the migration starts. Nearly 260,000 zebras, 1.7 million wildebeest, 470,000 gazelles, and other plains game start their migratory journey between January and March. These animals begin to graze on the short-grass plains of the southeast Serengeti around February, and by March they have given birth to about 500,000 calves. Animals start to move northwest in May when the rains stop, but they stop in the area around the Grumeti River until late June. The herds arrive in Kenya in late July or early August and remain there for few days before start migrating back to Tanzania Serengeti. The great migration is a dramatic journey that includes migrants’ births and deaths. Due to dehydration, hunger, and predators, nearly 250,000 wildebeest perish on the journey.
- Sahara Desert
After the icy deserts of the Antarctic and Arctic, the Sahara Desert is the largest desert on earth. The Sahara, however, tops the list of the world’s hot deserts. The desert is about the same size as the United States (3,500,000 square miles). The majority of North Africa is covered by the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the Mediterranean Sea coast, the Nile Valley in Egypt and Sudan, and the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb. There is some life in the dry desert. The Sahara Desert is home to several species of fox, addax, dama gazelle, Saharan cheetah, monitor lizard, sand viper, red-necked ostrich, desert crocodiles, Saharan silver ant, dromedary camels, and goats. While some settlements can be found in the desert’s oases, the desert is also home to a number of nomadic tribes. In specific regions of the Sahara Desert, a variety of tourist activities, including camping, wildlife viewing, cultural tours, and camel rides, are organized with the help of knowledgeable locals.
- Mount Kilimanjaro
The tallest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania. From its base, the mountain rises roughly 16,000 feet, reaching a height of 19,341 feet above sea level. The mountain serves as the focal point of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a well-liked place for climbing. The Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira cones on the stratovolcano are three separate formations. The mountain’s peak is reachable via authorized trekking routes. The Machame is thought to be the most picturesque route out of all of these. Although climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is not as challenging as scaling the Himalayan or Andean peaks, fatalities do occur frequently. In order to increase the likelihood of a secure ascent to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the government has established a number of rules that climbers must follow.
- Nile River
The Nile River, the longest river in the world, must be mentioned in any list of the Seven Wonders of Africa. Northeastern Africa’s Nile River flows in a northerly direction. Eleven nations around the world share the 4,145-mile-long Nile, which serves as the main source of water for the entire population in Sudan and Egypt. Before draining into the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt, the Nile River comes to an expansive delta’s end. The Egyptian civilization and the Sudanese kingdoms were both nurtured by this river, which also gave birth to them. Thus, the majority of Egypt’s significant historical and cultural sites are located along the banks of the Nile River.
