Category Geography

Why is the Okavango Delta so famous?

          The Okavango Delta is a unique wetland in Botswana that covers an area of about 16,800 square kilometres. A wetland is a place where the water is shallow, and the soil is very soggy.

          What makes the Okavango Delta special is that it is one of the world’s largest inland river deltas, as well as a breathtaking sight.

          The source of the delta is the Okavango River, one of the longest rivers in southern Africa. It is interesting to see how the delta is formed. The Okavango River, which begins in the mountains of Central Angola, flows southward, and reaches the Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana. There, it spreads out to form the delta. Interestingly, both the river and the delta are named after the Okavango people of northern Namibia. It is also home to some of the most endangered species of mammals like the white rhinoceros, cheetah.

 

Why is a Victoria waterfall so popular?

          Victoria Falls is one of the biggest and most impressive waterfalls on Earth. It is located in the middle of the Zambezi River. It is said that almost 600 million cubic litres of water hit the ground every minute from the waterfalls! It has been described by CNN as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

          Although the falls is popularly known as ‘Victoria’, locals in the area call it ‘Mosi-oa-Tun-ya’, meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’, because of its noise and water splashes. It was the Scottish missionary David Livingstone who named this wonder in November 1855, after Queen Victoria of Britain.

          Apart from its beauty, the Victoria Falls is also important for other reasons. It supplies energy to several cities in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Boaruka Island and the Living-stone Island are the two islands that are situated on the crest of the falls.

          There are many labels and descriptions given to the majestic Victoria. One such popular description in modern terms is this- the greatest curtain of falling water in the world! 

Why does the Namib Desert often inspire travellers around the globe?

          The Namib Desert is best known as one of the oldest deserts in the world, and has been in existence for over 50 million years! It is also one of the largest ones, stretching along the Atlantic coasts of Namibia, Angola, and South Africa.

          The term ‘Namib’ is said to have originated from the Nama language, in which it means ‘vast area’.

          There are many reasons why this coastal desert remains a wonderful sight. It has beautiful sand dunes and rugged mountains. It is also an important location for the mining of materials like diamonds, and tungsten.

          Apart from these, the Namib is also home to a number of strange plants and animals that can be found nowhere else in the world. An example for this is the shrub like plant named Welwitschia mirabilis that grows just two leaves, but lives for over 1000 years. Then, there are animals like the mountain zebra, gemsbok etc. 

What makes mount Kilimanjaro one amazing landmark to see?

          Mount Kilimanjaro is famous across the globe for being the highest point in Africa. It stands at a height of 5,895 metres. The most important fact about Mount Kilimanjaro is that it is not really a mountain as such, but a dormant volcano, made up of three volcanic cones named Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. The first two are extinct, meaning they cannot erupt again, but Kibo is dormant, and there are chances of it erupting in future.

          Another fact about Kilimanjaro is that it is one of the Seven Summits in the world. More than 1000 square kilometres around the mountain are known to be covered by thick forests that accommodate as many as 140 different species of animals.

          The summit of the mountain, on the other hand, is covered by glaciers and snow. It was in 1889 that the first ascent to the peak was recorded, by Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller. 

Who discovered Australia?

          Australia is the smallest continent but the largest island (piece of land covered with water from all sides) of the world. Its total area is about 8,000,000 sq. km (3,000,000 sq. miles). People during the medieval times talked about the existence of a large continent in the Southern Hemisphere. No one had seen it and people wondered what it was like and whether it was inhabited at all. It was called the ‘unknown southern land’.

          During the 16th century, European countries had been seeking new lands in order to expand their commercial activities. In 1606 the Dutch were the first to visit Australia. Their ship called the ‘Dnyffkin’ anchored off the Northern coast of Australia. When some of its crew went ashore to refill their water casks, they were driven out by the fierce natives. The Dnyffkin sailed away without exploring any other part of the vast continent.

          In 1642 Captain Abel Tasman was sent by the Dutch to explore more about the continent. He sighted the west coast, which he called Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). Later he explored New Zealand. In 1770 the English Captain James Cook discovered the South Eastern coast of Australia and named it New South Wales. In 1788 the first English colony was established in the city of Sydney.

          Who, then, were the first inhabitants of Australia?

          Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century the country was first inhabited by the Aborigines who reached Australia from Southern Asia about 20,000 years ago. In 1870 there were about 300,000 Aborigines in Australia. They arrived in two groups; the first group was eventually driven from the south-east into Tasmania; the second was racially quite different which occupied the rest of Australia.

          Today, Australia is among the highly developed countries of the world. Its inhabitants are self-sufficient in almost every respect. It has many distinctive features. Two-third of its land is a desert. It is, however, rich in minerals like gold, tungsten, manganese, cobalt, lead and zinc. Its unique wild life includes animals like kangaroo, koala and birds like emu, black swan. The plants like giant eucalyptus and bottle tree are found here in abundance.

 

What causes ocean currents?

          Most people think that the water in the oceans is still. But it is not so. It is always moving in regular patterns. This movement of water is called ocean currents. There are many kinds of currents. One kind is a ‘stream’. A stream is a current with distinct boundaries. Another kind is a ‘drift’. A drift does not have distinct boundaries. Do you know how ocean currents are produced?

          There are three main reasons for the occurrence of the ocean currents. (1) The density of sea water varies from place to place, because the salt content is not same at different places. Water flows from the regions of higher density to regions of lower density thus producing currents. (2) Sun’s rays fall on the surface of the sea at different angles and as such produce unequal heating. This generates ‘convection currents’ in the sea. (3) Winds blowing on the sea surface push water into current.

          Currents are also caused by the rotation of the earth. Generally, the earth’s rotation produces clockwise currents in the northern hemisphere and counter clockwise currents in the southern hemisphere.

          Amongst these, the Gulf Stream is the most important. The water of this stream is blue and warm. This stream flows from the Gulf of Mexico north to Canada like a river in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. London and Paris are less cold, because of this stream. It keeps ports in Norway free of ice all year. In addition to these, Brazil current, Japan Current North Equatorial current, North Pacific current etc., are the main ocean currents of the world.

          A cool current like the Labrador Current, which flows from the Arctic to the Atlantic, may carry icebergs into the trans-Atlantic shipping lanes. Ocean currents are important to the plants and animals in the oceans. The movement of water brings them food and nutrients. It also helps them during migration. Currents also affect the climate of the land. Ocean currents move water from warm to cold areas and vice versa.

          The collective name for a complex system of ocean currents flowing in the environs of the equator in Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean is known as ‘Equatorial Current’. The pacific north equatorial current is the part of clock-wise ocean current system with Japan Current, North Pacific current and California current. Similarly in Atlantic, the North Equatorial Current is the part of the clockwise system with Gulf Stream, and Canaries current.