Africa's Rift Valley (The World's Wild Places)

Africa's Rift Valley is one of thirteen volumes in the Time-Life book series The World's Wild Places. In this lavishly illustrated series of books, readers journey to distant and exotic places in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. This book focuses on the geology, people, and wildlife in Africa's Rift Valley. The Great Rift Valley is a 3,700 mile fissure in the earth's crust, stretching from Syria to Mozambique. The most dramatic part of this valley is the 1,500 mile segment between the Red Sea and Tanzania. Our tour of the African portion of the Rift Valley begins in the scorching Danakil Depression in Ethiopia. We then trek through the numerous lakes and volcanoes which dot the valley. The trip concludes in Lake Manyara in Tanzania. On this journey we encounter many animals including pelicans, flamingos, crocodiles, lions, hippos, baboons, and elephants. We also get a glimpse of the indigenous peoples of the Rift Valley such as the Turkana, El Molo, Afar, and Masai. This is the second book from this series I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it (see my review on Wilderness Europe). An index, bibliography, and maps are included in this volume. The many photographs and fascinating narrative make Africa's Rift Valley a well-balanced account about one of the world's truly unique places.