Safari Notes

Poor in natural resources, prone to drought and with little arable land, the Cape Verde islands are heavily dependent on food imports, sometimes in the form of aid. The former Portuguese colony comprises 10 islands and five islets, all but three of which are mountainous. Read more from the BBC's Country Profile More on Cape Verde: Wikipedia , FCO , unmassd.edu , stanford.edu , Frontier , Lonelyplanet , Infoplease , Worldtravelguide , Worldatlas , Books

"Until the 1982 conflict in the Falkland Islands commanded the world's attention, few had heard of South Georgia Island. Southeast of the Falklands, South Georgia is lost in the midst of the Southern Ocean, one of the most remote regions on earth. South Georgia's climate is dominated by the freezing effects of the Antarctic continent 1,000 miles to the south. Glaciers coat more than half the island, and the scenery is spectacular, as if the Alps had been dropped down in the south Atlantic." "South Georgia Island is isolated from the civilized world and trapped in the most cruel of climates, but it was destined for discovery. From its first recorded sightings more than 300 years ago until the 20th century, this icy paradise in the Southern Ocean has attracted explorers, merchants and governments." "Despite its isolation, South Georgia is a vital breeding oasis for some of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the planet. More than 2 million southern...

Kilwa Kisiwani was once the most famous trading post in East Africa. In 9th century the Swahili wealth owner of the island sold it to a trader called Ali bin Al-Hasan, the founder of Shiraz Dynasty. From 11th Century to early 15th Ali bin Al-Hasan managed to create a powerful city (Kilwa Kisiwani) and as major trading center along east African coast. He built a great mosque, established close trading links to interior of southern Africa as far as Nyasaland and Zimbabwe. In this sense , Kilwa Kisiwani became the principle trading port on the Indian Ocean. Its wealth came from the exchange of gold and iron from Great Zimbabwe and other part of Southern Africa, ivory and slaves from mainland Tanzania with textiles, Jewelry, porcelain and spices from Asia. By the 13th Century Kilwa had become the most powerful city on the East African Coast, exercising political and trading domination as far as Pemba Island in the north and Sofara (the modern Beira in Mozambique) in south . It is the offs...

All the signs pointed towards Antigua. The island had warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. It would make a perfect place to hide a fleet. And so in 1784 the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to Antigua and established Great Britain's most important Caribbean base. Little did he know that over 200 years later the same unique characteristics that attracted the Royal Navy would transform Antigua and Barbuda in one of the Caribbean's premier tourist destinations. The signs are still there, they just point to different things. The Trade Winds that once blew British men-of-war safely into English Harbour now fuel one of the world's foremost maritime events, Sailing Week . The expansive, winding coastline that made Antigua difficult for outsiders to navigate is where today's trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches . The coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enem...

Off Africa's southeast coast in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo. A stunning diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else evolved after the island broke away from the African continent 165 million years ago. It has a mountainous central plateau and coastal plains. The first settlers were of African and Asian origin, and 18 separate ethnic groups emerged, derived from an African and Malayo-Indonesian mixture. Asian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, and coastal people tend to show features of African origin. Most of the population depend on subsistence farming, based on rice and cattle, with coffee, vanilla, and seafood being important exports. French colonial rule began in 1896; independence came in 1960. In 1990, after almost 20 years of Marxism, Madagascar lifted a ban on opposition parties, and a new president was elected in 1993. Elections in 2001 resulted in a p...

"Potentially a holiday paradise with picture-postcard beaches, the Comoros islands are trying to consolidate political stability amid tensions between semi-autonomous islands and the central government." TheBBC "The Comoros islands are wrapped in a fragrant blend of ylang-ylang oil, Arabic aesthetics, African warmth and French chic. Not only this, but they have a colourful history of sultans and soothsayers, plantation owners and eloping princesses." Lonely Planet "Comorian residents call their Country Masiwa, "the islands," or refer to the individual name of each island. Zisiwa za Komor is a translation of the French words for the country. "Comoro" comes from the Arabic qumr, "the moon" or qamar "whiteness". Although Comorians practice Sunni Islam of the Chafeite rite, their social organization is matrilineal and residency is matrilocal. Social life is characterized by a widespread system of exchange, which, in tur...

Size:3,800 sq. km (1,500 sq. miles) Habitat type:Deserts and Xeric Shrublands Geographic Location:Island off the northeast coast of Africa (the Horn of Africa) Yemen Conservation Status:Critical/Endangered Some places seem to hover on the edge of the imagination. The remote and exotic island of Socotra, located between the coasts of Yemen and Somalia in the Indian Ocean, is just such a place. Known by ancient Indian, Arabian and Greek seafarers as an entrepôt for myrrh, frankincense and dragon’s blood trees, Socotra has been biologically isolated for several million years. Socotra remains one of the most fascinating places on earth, and has Arabia's greatest plant diversity. On our Yemen holidays on Socotra Island we will introduce you to the natural wonders of this blessed island, dubbed ‘the other Galapagos’. Responsible Travel More On Socotra: Socotraisland.org , Worldwildlife , FTIYemen , Wikpeadia , National Geographic , Lexicorient , New York Times , Arabian Widlife , Books ,...

The Maldives is sinking! And is prone to tsunamis ! But, it's one of the most beautiful places I can ever imagine! Just breathtaking! "Sun, sand and sea, a thousand ‘Robinson Crusoe’ islands, massive lagoons with different depths and infinite shades of blue and turquoise, dazzling underwater coral gardens; a perfect natural combination for the ideal tropical holiday destination. However there is more to the Maldives than just that." Visit Maldives "The pearls of the Indian Ocean, as it is popularly known, are situated in the South West of Sri Lanka, on the equator. The numerous coral reef islands, 1,190 in total , form an archipelago of 26 major atolls ( groups of neighbouring coral islands). The country stretches 820 km north to south and 120 km east to west. Out of the incredibly large number of islands only 200 islands are inhabited, with 44 islands adapted as exclusive resort islands. The climate is generally warm and humid. Sun shines all year through with aver...