Innholdsfortegnelse for You Kids - Our Wonderful World i You South Africa

The jewel of the Kalahari The Okavango Delta is nestled in one of the most arid areas in the world, but its unique ecosystem offers a biodiverse oasis for its fauna and flora. The delta is a network of permanent swamps, islands, channels and seasonal flooded plains that creates a unique ecosystem of fascinating animals and plants. Where does the water come from? The delta forms part of the Great East African Rift Valley. Its water flows into the Okavango River from the Angolan Highlands, through Namibia and ends in Botswana. It is unique in that its annual flooding happens during Botswana’s “dry season” between March and June. Waterlilies of the delta Night-blooming waterlilies decorate the waters of the delta and ever so often you can spot a frog or…

The Jade sea of Africa With its ancient volcanoes, petrified forests, fossils and Nile crocodile, visiting Lake Turkana feels like taking a journey to prehistoric times. Located between northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, the lake is part of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Surrounded by largely arid landscape and the neighbouring Chalbi Desert, it is the largest permanent desert lake in the world. It stretches over 250km – that’s the length of 2 500 rugby fields! Volcanoes Volcanoes have shaped the rift valley over millions of years and some of these can still be found in and around Lake Turkana. The three volcanic islands located within the lake are Central Island, North Island and South Island. The Nabiyotum Crater is a large indentation found at the southern end…

China PANJIN RED BEACH Autumn might not be the warmest time to go to the beach but Panjin Red Beach in Dawa County, Northeast China, draws thousands of visitors at this time. This is no ordinary beach but rather Asia’s largest reed marsh that is turned red by seepweed plants. The beach sits at the mouth of the Liaohe River in the salty plains of Liaodong Bay. Seepweed is one of a few plants that can survive in alkaline soil. Come wintertime it ripens and goes a dark purple colour before wilting. Vietnam THE TERRACED RICE FIELDS OF MU CANG CHAI The rolling hills of Mu Cang Chai look like endless steps up to the heavens and are a marvel of both human and nature’s engineering. Found at the foot…

A geological wonderland Yellowstone National Park, situated in northwestern Wyoming and partly in southern Montana and eastern Idaho, is a sprawling mix of colourful geothermal features and magnificent wildlife. The park is the oldest national park in the US and has more than 10 000 hydrothermal features, which include hot springs, mudpots, fumaroles, travertine terraces and, most famously, geysers. It’s home to one of America’s national animals, the bison, two of its biggest bear species, wolves, moose and other fascinating fauna and flora. Bear necessities The park has two of the largest bear species found in the US – the grizzly bear and black bear. Grizzly bears, or brown bears, are the bigger of the two species. Yellowstone is one of the few ecosystems where these two species co-exist. Black…

The place where the Earth meets the sky Stretching for kilometres on end in Bolivia is one of South America’s most amazing attractions – a vast expanse of white called Salar de Uyuni. It’s the largest salt flat in the world, covering an area of 10 500km², and can be seen from space. A salt flat is land covered by salt and other minerals left behind when prehistoric lakes evaporated. Salar de Uyuni is on a high plateau in the Andes Mountains. When it’s at its driest it’s covered in polygonal patterns and when wet it turns into the biggest mirror you’ve ever seen. Island of cacti In the middle of Salar de Uyuni are two islands that look like oases – Isla el Pescado, or Fish Island, and…

THE EMPEROR PENGUIN Seeing a giant emperor penguin waddle across the snow might make you stop in your tracks. They are the largest penguins in the world and can reach up to 100cm in height and weigh between 22 to 45kg. A fat layer beneath their skin and four layers of feathers helps preserve heat, protecting them from the freezing waters and winds of Antarctica. SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL The southern elephant seal is the largest of all the world’s seals. These giants are found on the coasts of most sub-Antarctic islands and in Antarctica. Fully grown males, or bulls, can weigh up 3 700kg while females, or cows, are a little smaller, weighing up to 900kg. The bulls fiercely protect their breeding territories. One dominant bull will mate with several…

Australia COLOURFUL CORAL This is the biggest reef system in the world and at 348 700km² it makes up 10% of all coral reef ecosystems. It has 3 000 individual reefs, more than 400 coral species and 900 coral islands. More than 9 000 species of marine life inhabit its waters. Did you know that coral are small animals called polyps? They secrete calcium carbonate, which forms a hard external shell around them for protection. The more colourful the coral is, the healthier it is. It gets its colour from zooxanthellae, a type of algae that grows over the coral reefs. The algae are also coral’s primary food source and remove waste. Exposure to the sun makes the algae change colour, giving the reefs their vibrancy. GREAT TURTLES OF THE…

A starry worm cathedral Travelling through the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand is like looking at a piece of the night sky spectacularly lit up by stars. The blue-green light comes from thousands of glowworms illuminating the labyrinth of caves. The glowworm’s tail is bioluminescent – the chemicals it secretes react with oxygen in the air to create light. Not actually a worm The New Zealand glowworm isn’t actually a worm but rather a type of flying insect. The larvae’s tails are bioluminescent, which attracts prey such as small flies, midges and moths. The larvae spin nests with thin threads covered in sticky droplets that hang like little pearl necklaces. Once they’ve snared something they pull it up by eating the threads and their prey alive. Adults don’t…

The Cape Floral region The fynbos biome makes up 80% of the Cape Floral Region - the smallest of six floral regions in the world. It's found in the Western Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape. Fynbos prefers dry summers and wet winters. In SA, this type of Mediterranean climate is unique to the Western Cape. The word fynbos ("fine bush" in Afrikaans) is a collective noun for a variety of plants of different sizes, shapes and colours. Fynbos is classified into four main types: ericoids (shrubs), restoids (reed-like plants), geophytes (plants that grow from bulbs) and proteoids (protea shrubs). The king protea The king protea is South Africa’s national flower and gets its name from the fact that the flower looks like a crown. It’s also the largest…

Mother of the forests In Madagascar, an Island country lying on The southeastern coast of Africa, locals call the Baobab tree renala or renlala, which translates to "the mother of forests". The Avenue of Baobabs is one of the most visited areas on the Island It's where the glant Grandidier's baobabs (Adansonia grandidier) line a dirt road between the cities of Morondava and Belo Tsiribihina. The grove is 260m long and has 20-25 baobabs. Flowers of the night The tree flowers between October and May and its white petals open only at night. All its pollen is released on the first night of flowering. Nocturnal animals like fork-marked lemurs, bush babies, fruit bats and insects like the hawk moth pollinate the flowers. The lemurs’ snouts get covered in pollen…

Cave of the mountain river The world’s largest natural cave, Hang Son Doong in Vietnam, is so big you could fly a Boeing 747 plane through it without the wings touching its walls. The cave stretches over 9km, reaches 200m at its highest points and 160m in width in some parts. It is 38,5 million cubic metres in volume – which means it could fit a whole city block with skyscrapers! Discovery The cave might be more than 3 million years old, but it was only discovered 23 years ago – and totally by accident! A local farmer named Ho Khanh stumbled upon the entrance of the cave while looking for timber in the jungles of Quang Binh Province. For years he couldn’t locate the cave again because it’s hidden…

The honeymoon capital of the world It’s considered one of the most romantic places to visit and it’s easy to see why millions of visitors fall in love with Niagara Falls every year. Found in both New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada, it lies on the Niagara River, which is a natural border between the two countries. There are breathtaking views – visitors can see amazing cityscapes, forests and cascading waterfalls. Niagara Falls is actually a combination of three waterfalls: the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Stunned fish While it’s dangerous for humans to go over the falls, many fish such as the rainbow trout successfully make the plunge. Their streamlined bodies make the fall into the pool below a lot safer. This doesn’t mean it’s…

A mysterious underwater cave During the Ice Age, between 15 000 and 150 000 years ago, a giant sinkhole formed off the coast of Belize in central America. Called the Great Blue Hole, this massive sinkhole is in the middle of the Lighthouse Reef atoll, a ring-shaped coral reef about 80km from the Belize coastline. It stretches 300m across and is estimated to be 125m deep. While most sinkholes form on land surfaces, blue holes like the one in Belize form within the ocean and create deep marine caverns. The Great Blue Hole is the largest natural formation of its kind in the world. Fish life The Lighthouse Reef atoll is rich in biodiversity. Its exotic marine life includes the midnight parrotfish, giant sponges and lobsters. Several shark species, including…

A showcase of evolution With giant tortoises, swimming iguanas, eccentric birds and active volcanoes it’s no wonder that the Galápagos Islands have inspired endless stories over the years. Situated about 1 000km off the coast of Ecuador, it’s a chain of 127 islands of various sizes. The islands are at an intersection where three currents meet – the Humboldt Current (cold, nutrient-rich water), the Panama Current (warm water) and the Cromwell Current (cold water). Even though this area is on the equator, making the climate hot, the influx of cold currents gives life to a unique biosphere. Volcanic islands Unlike most other islands the ones in the Galápagos archipelago were never part of the supercontinent Pangea. Pangea was a single, giant landmass which separated into the continents we know today.…

Antarctica has an otherworldly atmosphere because it’s so isolated and mostly uninhabited. There are in fact rocks strewn across its surface that are not from this world. More than 45 000 meteorites have been discovered by scientists over the past couple of decades that offer valuable information about our solar system. These meteorites travelled more than 1 600 000km through space and are billions of years old. The cold weather helps preserve them and melting glaciers have revealed ancient meteorites buried underneath the ice. What are meteorites? Meteorites are fragments of asteroids, comets or meteoroids that broke apart In the asteroid field between the planets Jupiter and Mars and orbited the Sun. When they collide with the Earth's atmosphere they turn into balls of flame and look like shooting stars.…

Recovering Spain’s lost animals The extinction of certain eystone animals – species that help balance our ecosystems – has disrupted natural environments all over the world. In Spain several rewilding projects have been started to help restore this balance to the Iberian Highlands east of Madrid. Animals such as the Iberian lynx, wild horses and the black vulture have all become endangered because of overhunting, food scarcity and habitat loss. These animals are now being reintroduced to the area. Natural grazing Natural grazing is a process by which herbivores help to change the landscape and create more biodiversity. They help shorten long grass for other herbivores, which also makes space for other flower species to  flourish and decreases the risk of wildfires. The reintroduction of large herbivores such as tauros…

The centre of the universe In the centre of Australia lies one of its most famous beacons – a giant, red sandstone formation called Uluru, previously known as Ayers Rock. Towering above the surrounding desert, it’s what is called an inselberg – an isolated hill or mountain that stands like an island in the middle of flat plains. At 348m, Uluru is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and goes even deeper underneath the surface, reaching 2,5km below ground. It holds great spiritual significance for the Aboriginal people of Australia, who after the San people of Southern Africa are regarded as one of the oldest civilisations in the world. A sacred place The Anangu, the local Aboriginal tribe who are the Indigenous custodians of Uluru, believe the rock was…

The green heart of Africa Right in the centre of Africa lies the world's second-biggest rainforest Estimated to be between 2 million and 3,7 million km2, the Congo Basin's rainforest spans six countries- Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The equator, which divides the Earth's northern and southern hemispheres, runs through the basin, giving it a tropical climate. It's home to the greatest number of mammals, primates, birds, amphibians, fish and swallowtail butterflies in Africa. G orillas in the mist The Congo Forest is the only place in the world where you'll find all four subspecies of gorilla: the western lowland gorilla, endemic eastern lowland gorilla, Cross River gorilla and the mountain gorilla. Mountain gorillas live…

Sculpted by nature You can forget about seeing real-life fairies when you visit Türkiye’s Fairy Chimneys but do expect to be enchanted by the magnificence of this natural marvel. The thousands of cone- and pyramid-shaped rock formations, some of which are carved out to create homes, can be found all over the valleys of Cappadocia in central Türkiye. Also known as hoodoos, these structures consist of soft rock bodies with harder rock toppings that look like mushroom tops. Conservation The area attracts thousands of visitors each year and with this comes pollution and vandalism. Nature-based tourism in the area has seen an increase in ancient art and structures being defaced. The overuse of the tunnels and pathways and construction of new buildings and roads have also caused major damage to…

A waterfall of butterflies Butterflies are so light that when they land on you, you can barely feel it. But when millions of Eastern monarch butterflies settle in Mexico City each year, their collective weight is so heavy it bends the branches of trees. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in the forests of central Mexico becomes a haven of fluttering wings. It’s a spectacula sight as their brightly coloured orange wings fill the sky and decorate the oyamel fir trees. Their wings all flapping at the same time sounds like a heavenly rainstorm. Chasing summer Monarch butterflies are unable to survive the cold winter months in the US and Canada where they breed. They start their two-way migration in autumn, during September and October in North America, and fly more…

9 That’s how ma ny countries the Amazon River winds through on the South American continent. It originates in the Andes Mountains of Peru and then runs through Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. It’s the largest river by volume in the world and the second-longest river after the Nile River in Africa. 20 billion The rainforest releases oxygen and 20 billion tons of moisture into the air, creating low-lying clouds and light rain. 40 years Over the past 40 years about 17% of the forest has been destroyed through deforestation and wildfires caused by humans. 390 billion That’s how many trees it’s estimated you’ll find in the Amazon rainforest. It’s the largest rainforest in the world and at 6,7 million km² it’s bigger…

The driest desert on Earth Have you ever wanted to know what it would feel like to walk around on Mars? The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, the driest desert in the world, is probably the closest you could get to experiencing the dry, arid environment of the red planet. It’s situated between the Andes Mountain and the Chilean Coast Ranges, placing it in what is called a rain shadow – a piece of land which is blocked from receiving rain by large mountain ranges. The desert only receives 1 millimetre of rain a year and certain parts are so arid that they have not received rainfall for 500 years. Life learns to adapt Even though most of the desert is uninhabitable there are animals and plants that have adapted…

When you think of the landscape of Antarctica, long stretches of white and giant glaciers surrounded by oceans come to mind. But underneath the surface lurks another world. Over the years scientists and explorers have discovered sub-glacial mountains, lakes and bacterial life forms beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet and shelves. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest block of ice on Earth and contains about 70% of the freshwater on the planet. An ice shelf is a floating platform that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down a coastline and onto the ocean surface. ‘Superpower’ bacteria The melting ice in the Antarctic Peninsula has led to the discovery of what scientists are calling a 'superpower' bacteria living in the soil. These bacteria are resistant to antimicrobial medicines - antibiotics,…

Europe’s most extensive mountain range Tens of millions of years ago two giant tectonic plates, large slabs of the Earth’s crust, collided and created Europe’s most extensive mountain range. The Alps stretch over eight countries – France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Monaco. It’s so large that some of its mountain ranges and rivers form borders that separate countries. The Alps is made up largely of an alpine biome, which is an ecosystem that doesn’t contain trees due to its high altitude. It’s also extremely cold, windy and snowy. Mont Blanc Mont Blanc, which means white mountain in French, is the highest mountain in the Alps. It lies in a range called the Graian Alps, which are located in France, Switzerland and Italy. One of Mont Blanc’s legendary…

The sinking islands of the Pacific In the Pacific Ocean are islands that are literally disappearing under the water. Rising sea levels are turning the Solomon Islands east of Papua New Guinea into water worlds. The Solomon Islands consist of six major islands and more than 900 smaller ones. Over the past seven decades five of these islands have already been fully submerged and six more have lost from 20 to 60% of their surface area. Scientists attribute the rising water levels to human-induced climate change, coastal erosion and the intensification of winds. Rising sea levels It’s estimated to be rising by 7-10mm per year since 1993, which is three times higher than anywhere else in the world. There are multiple reasons. It’s partly due to the melting of…