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Article: The complete guide to The Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley provides the eastern backbone of the African continent, an epic trail of jaw-dropping scenery, stunning safaris and changing cultures. Sarah Barrell uncovers the highlights
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 7, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The cradle of mankind, the backbone of Africa, the Rift Valley is
a 4,000 mile-long string of superlatives, running from the Dead Sea
to Mozambique. A phrase David Attenborough has surely intoned more
times than "watch out for that lion", the Great Rift Valley is
synonymous with the Big Five but offers travellers far more than big-
game safaris.
WHAT IS THE RIFT VALLEY?
The folding and faulting of the planet's crust, some 20 million
years ago, has resulted in one of the most spectacular geological
features on the face of the earth. Variously referred to as the
Eastern or Afro- Arabian Rift Valley, the Great Rift Valley extends
its vast escarpments, cliffs, rivers and plains from Jordan in ...