From the 24th to the 28th of June 2011 five African attractions and destinations were added to the UNESCO World heritage list. The five were part of 25 new entries from around the globe.
In the Natural Properties category, the Lake System of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya was added. The three lakes concerned – Bogoria, Nakuru and Elmenteita are shallow, alkaline lakes that between them cover just over 34,000 metres. They are home to 13 threatened bird species, as well as important breeding grounds for both the Lesser flamingo and the White Pelican. The reserves around their shores are home to many large mammals, including the black rhino, wild dogs, lion and cheetah. The lakes are a popular attraction for visitors on safari holidays to Kenya, the sight of hundreds of thousands of flamingos feeding in Nakuru and turning the lake pink being a breath-taking site. It is also one of the best places to see Rhino in Africa.
Another place to get official status in Kenya was Fort Jesus in Mombasa, added to the Cultural properties. This Portuguese Fort, built in 1593, was constructed to guard the port at Mombasa, and was built in the shape of a man. It has a colourful history, attacked and captured on no less than nine occasions, despite being the first fort built outside Europe to be able to withstand cannon fire. Today it can be visited and is home to a small museum.
Also added to the Cultural list was the Konso Cultural landscape. Situated in the Konso highlands in northern Ethiopia, the area is dominated by stone walled terraces and small fortified settlements, wooden and stone steles and a way of life that can be traced back over 400 years. Unique burial practices, folklore and local heroes recorded on the stele and a complex but ordered system of government make it a unique culture in danger of being swamped by the encroachment of the outside world.
Archaeology was the reason why another African Cultural area was added to the list; the Island of Meroe in Sudan. Situated between the Nile and Atbara rivers, this arid landscape in covered in archaeological sites dating from the Kingdom of Kush, a strong regional power for over 1,000 years from the eighth century AD. These sites include the Royal City of Meroe itself, the religious sites at Naqa and Musawwarat as well as a host of secular, industrial and agricultural works. These include temples and pyramids, many of which have yet to be fully excavated and explored.
The final African addition is in Senegal, the Saloum Delta. Formed by the estuaries of three rivers, a labyrinth of channels, inlets and islands has been formed that is home to a unique way of life. Mangrove swamps, thick forest and Atlantic coastline have contributed to an area that has 218 shellfish shell mounds, some 100s of metres long that have built up over many centuries. 28 of these contain burials, the grave goods in which have given a unique insight into a vanishing and ancient way of life.
