AFRICA TRIP

I know some are you are going to Africa for Summer Missions this year, so here are some of the natural wonders of the areas you will be in. The group is going to Eastern Africa. Tanzania and Zambia. Here is a little information on this area.

TANZANIA

Tanzania is to the wildlife enthusiast the Africa of our imagination. Boasting over 95,000 square miles of reserves, Tanzania is one of the best game viewing countries in Africa. From Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, to Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, visitors will find a country with vast, unbroken vistas.

The United Republic of Tanzania is located in eastern Africa on the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Kenya and includes the island of Zanzibar. The capital, Dar es Salaam, is located along the eastern coast on the Indian Ocean. Tanzania covers an area roughly twice the size of California. The terrain includes coastal plains, a central plateau, and highlands in the north and south. It is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest point in Africa), Lake Victoria (the second largest lake in the world), and the Great Rift Valley. The climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate in the highlands. Natural resources include hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, and nickel.

There is more than 37.1 million people live in Tanzania. Kiswahili or Swahili (Kiunguju in Zanzibar) and English are the official languages; Arabic and numerous other local languages are spoken as well. The population is overwhelmingly native African (99%), most of whom are Bantu (95%). Religious practices on the mainland include: Christian (30%), Muslim (35%), and indigenous beliefs (35%).

ZAMBIA

Zambia is a land of natural wonders with friendly people, ancient traditions and mystic legends. Here nature is at its wildest and most exquisite with the profusion of birds, abundant wildlife, and raw, pulsating wilderness. Zambia has some of the greatest natural scenery on the continent - a gently undulating plateau of forests, savannah and marshland.

It is fed and shaped by three great rivers, bordered by three massive lakes andcovered by big, big skies. The country shares (with Zimbabwe) Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River - two of the region's major tourist highlights. Apart from sightseeing, these places are also centres for a range of activities ranging from canoeing to white water rafting and bungee jumping.

The legendary David Livingstone first saw the awesome glory of the Victoria Falls from Zambia and his memory today is enshrined in the nearby town of Livingstone. Lusaka, the vibrant capital city, is surprisingly rich in galleries, featuring local artists. The other major attraction in the capital is bustling open air Kamwala market, a few blocks south of the centre.

Described by the local Kololo tribe as ‘Mosi-oa-tunya’ - ‘the Smoke that thunders’ and in more modern terms as ‘the greatest known curtain of falling water’, Victoria Falls is a spectacular sight of beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Facing the falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height and capped by a mist soaked rain forest. A path running through the rain forest provides the visitor with an unparalleled series of views of the falls.

One special vantage point is across the knife-edge bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern cataract and the Main falls as well as the Boiling Pot where the river turns and heads down the Batoka gorge. The immense depth of the gorge can be fully appreciated from this perspective and combined with the sea green river below, the shiny black rock face and lush green foliage, the 360 degree view from here is breathtaking.