Project Eleven- World Heritage Sites Of South Africa

                WORLD HERITAGE SITES OF SOUTH AFRICA

Hi, my project is on the eight world heritage sites of South Africa. A world heritage site is natural or manmade site, area, or structure of great importance and is a protected area, such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of special cultural or physical significance

As of 2014, 1007 sites are listed: 779 cultural, 197 natural, and 31 mixed properties

Globally, UNESCO's World Heritage sites include places such as the Egyptian Pyramids, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China. There are 17 World Heritage sites located in Canada and there are another seven sites on Canada's Tentative List of World Heritage sites. The Rideau Canal is our most well-known world heritage site.

1: Fossil hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdaai, Environs: This site contains a bunch of limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, where the 2.3-million year-old fossil was found.

2: Vredefort dome: The crater, (190) kilometer across, is the largest and oldest Astrobleme, (a remnant of a large crater made by the impact of a meteorite or comet,) on earth dating back 2 billion years.

3: Mapungubwe cultural Landscape: This open Savanna biome lays at the joining of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. It was the place of the Mapungubwe Kingdom until the 14th century, when the area was abandoned, leaving untouched remains of palaces and settlements.

4: Robben island: Between the 17th and 20th century, the island was used as a prison, including for political prisoners, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups, and a military base.

5: Cape floral region protected areas: The site consists of eight protected areas that are among the richest in plant life worldwide, containing nearly 20% of Africa's total flora, (the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period)

6: Isimangaliso wetland park: The park features a variety of landforms, including coral reefs (a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral), long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and reed and papyrus wetland.

7: Richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape: This desert is full of rocky mountains, plants and boulders larger than some trees.

8: uKhahlamba (Drakensberge): This heritage site has two names one is a Zulu name (uKhahlamba- barrier of spears) or the Afrikaans way (Drakensburge- Dragon Mountains). It contains mountains, waterfalls and other bodies of water.