My Science School

The Victoria Falls is a magnificent waterfall spanning the width of the Zambezi River. The river is over 2 kilometres wide at the point where the waterfall begins its descent down the basaltic gorges.

The shining mist rising from the waterfall can be seen over 20 km away. Upstream from the falls, the Zambezi flows over a sheet of basalt through a low valley made of short sandstone hills. Many tree-covered islands including the Livingstone Island are scattered across the river as it nears the falls. Victoria Falls is almost double the width and depth of the Niagara Falls. As a popular tourist destination, construction of various buildings and tourism facilities are posing a threat to the ecology of the waterfall.

It is believed that Scottish missionary and explorer, David Living-stone, was the first European to view the Victoria Falls. He saw the waterfall on 16 November 1855 from a place now called the Living-stone Island. The island is in the middle of the Zambezi River, immediately upstream from Victoria Falls. Livingstone named the waterfall after Queen Victoria of England.

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The city of Timbuktu in the West African country of Mali was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Timbuktu was founded by Tuareg nomads as their seasonal camp around 1100 AD.

As the meeting point of desert and water, the city became an important trading centre on the trans-Saharan caravan route. Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic culture that was added to the Mali Empire in the late 13th or 14th century. Called the City of Gold, Timbuktu is also an ancient centre of learning.

In 1960, Timbuktu became a part of the Republic of Mali. Due to armed conflicts the city was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger in 2012. Constant wars and neglect have caused significant damage to the city. Due to desertification and the lack of development, the city is almost turning to dust.

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The remains of Dougga city is at the peak of a hill, at an altitude of 571 metres. It overlooks the Oued Khalled valley in Northwest Tunisia.

Dougga was most likely the first capital of the Numidian kingdom. However, it was under Roman rule that the city really flourished and became an important Roman settlement in North Africa. Even today many remnants of Roman buildings such as temples, baths and theatres can be found here. Because of these reasons, UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”.

Dougga is mostly made of a yellowish stone which blends beautifully with the Oued Kalied valley. Unlike other cities of North Africa like Carthage, Dougga has not changed much through urbanisation. The Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, the Capitol, the Roman theatre, the temples of Saturn and Juno Caelestis are some of the attractions of Dougga.

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The Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Egypt. Monuments in this site include the famous Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae. Egyptian King Ramses II built two temples in southern Egypt’s Abu Simbel. Four huge statues of Ramses placed in the front is a notable feature of the main temple.

When the artificial water reservoir called Lake Nasser was being built in the 1960s, Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae were completely relocated to prevent them from being flooded. The site was moved to an artificial hill above Aswan High Dam on the River Nile in 1968.

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Mount Kilimanjaro and its surrounding montane forest are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. This snow-capped volcanic mountain has three peaks: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. The park is home to many endangered species, especially mammals. In 1973, the mountain and its six surrounding forests were named Kilimajaro National Park in order to protect its unique environment.

The park is spread over an area of 1688 square kilometres in Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya. Climate change, use of nearby land, pollution and invasive species are some of the threats currently faced by the park.

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The Manu National Park was established in South-western Peru on the orders of General Juan Velasco on 29 May 1973. UNESCO identified the park as a Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and as a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Manu National Park is located at the point where Tropical Andes joins the Amazon Basin. This vast stretch of land is a watershed that is extremely difficult for humans to reach. The Park has no roads and even today it remains almost untouched by humans.

The lack of human access has proved to be a blessing for the ecosystem of the Park. The lowlands rainforests and Andean grasslands protect the biodiversity of the area. There are thousands of plant and tree species within the park.

Five parts of the park have been opened for tourists. People can observe the biodiversity of the park along paths, and river banks. A research centre named Cocha Cashu Biological Station is located in the park.

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The city of Potosi in southern Bolivia is located in the shadow of the famous Potosi Mountain.

Sitting on a cold and barren plateau at 4050 metres, it is one of the highest cities in the world. The city is famous for the thousands of silver mines which supplied silver to Spain in the colonial era.

It was the world’s largest industrial centre in the 16th century. Potosi became an imperial city after the visit of Francisco di Toledo, the Viceroy of Peru, in 1572. The biggest silver lodes in the New World were discovered in the south of Potosi, at Cerro Rico de Potosi. This discovery increased the prosperity of the city.

Potosi exported enormous quantities of precious metals to Seville in Spain causing an increased production of Spanish currency. Spanish American mines were the richest source of silver during this time. The mining in Potosi also increased to meet the high demand for silver in China. However, most of the wealth from this exchange went to Spain and the Spanish monarchs.

The influence of this city also extends to architecture and monumental arts in the central Andes. The baroque style with native Indian influences spread from Potosi to other cities in the region.

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Canaima is the second largest national park of Venezuela and the sixth largest in the world. It is spread over 30,000 square kilometres along the Guyana-Brazil border in the south-east of Venezuela. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Some of the main attractions of the park include the unique rock formations called tepuis and Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. Tepuis are table-top mountains with almost vertical walls.

Mount Roraima and Auyan-tepui are the most breath-taking tepuis in Canaima. Auyan-tepui is the location of Angel Falls. The natives call Angel Falls the ‘waterfall of the deepest place’ or the ‘fall from the highest point’. It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of South America.

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The Equadorian capital Quito was built on the ruins of an Inca city during the 16th century. The city is located on the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, at an altitude of 2850 metres. The Pichincha Volcano is in the Andean valley just below the equator. It last erupted in 1666.

The Baroque style of Quito is a blend of European and local traditions. The artistic, architectural and decorative elements of the citadels of Quito are undoubtedly the greatest contribution of Spanish America to the world of art. The spiritual citadels such as San Francisco, San Domingo, San Augustin, La Compana, and La Merced are examples for this.

Quito is the oldest capital in South America and the second highest official capital city in the world. Quito has also stayed true to its original style despite centuries of urban development. It is the birthplace of many Pre-Colombian cultures and a witness to Spanish colonisation. The Old Town of Quito was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Quito and Krakow in Poland are the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO.

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The city of Arequipa in Peru is a combination of European and native designs. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is 820 acres in area. It is located at the foothills of the Misti Volcano, at a height of 2300 metres above sea level. The inactive cone of the Misti Volcano is 5821 metres high.

Though there are European influences, Arequipa has strong indigenous elements. The city faces frequent earthquakes, mainly because it rests in the valley of three snow-covered volcanoes. Earthquakes in 1600, 1868, 1958, 1979 and 2001 caused significant damage to the city.

The sturdy walls, archways, porticos, vaults, courtyards, open spaces and the baroque decorations are examples of the different influences on Arequipa. The city had been a major point on the Cuzco-seacoast route during the Inca Empire.

Arequipa had been home to one group of people or the other for thousands of years. In 1540 the city was founded again under the name Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion del Valle Hermoso. This was done on the orders of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro to establish a stronghold in the region.

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The 15th century stone city of Machu Picchu was created by the Incas. The city is located 2430 metres above sea level in a valley surrounded by mountains in the Andes.

Set in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, the walls, terraces and ramps of Machu Picchu seem like they are naturally cut into the steep slopes. The city has been engineered marvellously by dividing it into upper and lower areas. The farmlands and housing areas are separated by a large square between them.

Narrow lanes connect the buildings, plazas and platforms of this ancient city. One section of Machu Picchu has been set apart from the rest using walls, ditches and possibly a moat. There are nearly 700 terraces here for agriculture and these allowed the distribution of water without wastage and also prevented erosion. The role of Machu Picchu in the Incas understanding of astronomy and domestication of wild plants is unknown today. A worldwide internet poll voted it as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Machu Picchu was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

The Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary includes the Malpelo Island and the surrounding waters, located 506 km away from Columbian Mainland. The extensive marine park is home to numerous threatened species. Malpelo was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006. It is the largest area in the Eastern Tropical Pacific where fishing is prohibited.

Since it is a major source of nutrients, diverse marine species flock to these waters. Giant grouper, billfish, short-nosed ragged-toothed shark, hammerhead sharks, deepwater shark and silky sharks are some of the marine animals spotted here. Swarms of sharks seen in these waters make it a popular destination for shark- diving.

The Malpelo Island that forms a part of the sanctuary is guarded by the Colombian Armed Forces. The island has a barren rock with three peaks. Cerro de la Mona is the highest peak with a height of 300 metres. Droppings of the bird guano are the main source of nutrients for the colonies of lichen, mosses, algae, ferns and shrubs growing on the island.

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The ancient city of Tiwanaku is located in the province of Ingavi, department of La Paz, Bolivia. It became a World Heritage Site in 2000. Tiwanaku is at an altitude of 3850 m, near the bank of Lake Titicaca on the Altiplano or Andean Plateau. Some believe that Tiwanaku’s modern name is related to the Aymara term ‘taypiqala’ meaning ‘stone at the centre’. This indicates that this city was believed to be the centre of the world.

However, there is no way of learning what it was called by its original inhabitants. The first mention of Tiwanaku in written history is by Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon in 1549. He had been searching for Qullasuyu, a city of the Incas. The city has been mainly built using a type of clay called adobe. The main buildings in Tiwanaku include the Akapana Pyramid and enclosures called Kalasasaya and Palacio. Akapana is a step pyramid covered with cut andesite, a kind of volcanic rock. Kalasasaya is a rectangular enclosure made with stone columns and rectangular blocks. Its main feature is a massive Gateway of the Sun decorated with the figure of the Doorway God carrying a staff, and other figures of angels or winged messengers.

Tiwanaku also has many stone statues. Though most of the old city is covered up by modern buildings, the stone buildings in the ceremonial centre are still intact. The ceremonial centre is part of a protected archaeological zone.

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The city of Sucre in Bolivia has a harmonious blend of local Latin-American architecture and European styles. Sucre is located at the base of the Sica Sica and Churuquella hills. Its name during the pre-Columbian phase was Chuquisaca. The Spanish found the city in 1538 and renamed it as La Plata.

Sucre and La Paz are the two centres of the Bolivian government. The layout of Sucre was similar to other towns founded by the Spanish in America during the 16th century. One of the common features of these towns including Sucre is streets with checker-board pattern.

The city attracts thousands of tourists every year due to its well-preserved downtown with buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also the gateway to numerous small villages that date from the colonial era.

Sucre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

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The lines and large ground designs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana are examples of the magical and religious world of ancient Peruvian societies. These societies existed between the 8th century BC and the 8th century AD on the arid coastal plains of the river Rio Grande de Nasca - before the Spanish reached America.

The Nasca Lines include 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal and plant designs called biomorphs. Most of the lines were built over 2000 years ago by people of the Nasca culture. The size, variety and quantity of these huge designs called geoglyphs are unmatched by similar works anywhere else in the world.

Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe was the first to conduct a detailed study of the Nasca Lines in 1926. But the Lines became public knowledge only after they were observed by pilots flying over Peru in the 1930s. There are different theories about the purpose of the Nasca Lines. After observing the lines from an aeroplane in 1941, American historian Paul Kosok theorized that they were drawn for astronomical uses. They were declared a World Heritage Site in 1994.

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