Dasja

__**Region 1: North Africa **__ __**Algeria **__ // Day 1: Winner // I’m on the plane right at this very second! I’m so excited! I don’t know how to start this diary they asked me to do. I guess I could start by telling how I won the trip. Okay, so I won this trip to Africa. I was listening to the radio on my way to school, and they said that whoever guessed the artist of this new song they were playing could win a trip. I knew from the first note and called in immediately. Well, looks like I won a trip to Africa. I have unlimited spending money, everything’s’ paid for and I get to do whatever I want. The only condition is I have to keep this logbook, just so the rest of the city can know what I did. Fine by me, I get to spend a month in Africa! The plane’s landing now, got to go find my hotel. Bates Motel… sounds promising, I guess. Algeria, here I come!

I decided on my first day I would visit the capital city of Algeria, Algiers. I found one of those tour buses that’ll take you around the city. I saw, at one point, all the hills and plains this city was built on. The tour guide even said Algeria was filled with hills and plains, and he also said they had very good farmland. Along with the good, fertile soil, the country has a lot of oil and natural gas, so they export that. Then he went into specifics, and named the Atlas Mountains, the Ahaggar Mountain Range, and even the Ergs, or shifting sand dunes, that were in the country. Today I didn’t do much, but that’s only because my flight came in at, like, noon, so I’ll have to continue my tour of Algiers tomorrow. Now, it’s time for sleep.

// Day 2: Finishing The Tour of Algiers // I woke up early to hurry to the city and finish my tour. This city is beautiful; I’ll be sure to include more pictures today than I did yesterday. The tour guide knew a whole bunch about everything, even things that didn’t have to do with the city. It was pretty cool, learning these things. Like, for example, the country was once a French colony, from 1834 to 1962. There was a civil war between the Algerians of that time and the French in 1954. The fighting ended in 1962, and Algeria came out on top with its independence. They were their own country now, and their government became a republic with secular (nonreligious) policies. That part was kinda boring, and I’m sure there was much more information, but I just didn’t pay any attention. What interested me was the culture. Most people are Muslim and speak Arabic. 31.7 million people in this country have mixed Berber and Arab heritage. Oh, man! It’s getting late! I gotta go pack my stuff and head for my next country. Too bad, really, I liked my hotel. I heard there was a string of them throughout Africa, so I might just stay in the next one. It was way better than the ones in the older sections of the city, or Kasbahs. Well, gotta go catch my flight!

__** Egypt **__ // Day 3: Self-Touring in Luxor (and, No, Not The One in Vegas!) // Here I am in Egypt. I’ve decided to self-tour the city of Luxor, and not the one in Las Vegas! The actual city of Luxor. I grabbed a brochure, which basically tells me everything I need to know about Egypt. This brochure is like a book, I swear! The city itself is cool, had some cool restaurants and stuff, but this brochure is cooler. Egypt is filled with desert. They have the Arabian, the Eastern, and the Libyan deserts. The Nile River is their lifeline. The whole country was once under British rule, but in 1954 Egyptian army officers overthrew Brittan. Egypt became a republic, but violent Islamic political and religious groups opposed the government and attacked them frequently. The government, thankfully, ended the attacks by 2000. 29% of the people here farm for a living. These are usually poor people, and some of them only raise enough crops to feed their families. The majority of the people here, though, are normally modern city dwellers. Their main religion is Muslim. Okay, that’s enough reading for one day. I’ll just walk around Luxor for the rest of the afternoon. I’ll be sure to include a picture! // Day 4: Finishing That Book-Sized Brochure // I finished that book-sized brochure. The rest of it was just about the economy and some fun facts. Well, factories make food products, textiles and consumer goods. They export petroleum and their main energy resource is oil. A fun fact? There are five million Facebook users in Egypt. That’s more than any other Middle Eastern country! The city was almost as beautiful as my hotel. I’ll be sure to include some pictures to make up for the short entry. On to the next region!

//__** Region 2: East Africa **__// __** Sudan **__ // Day 5: Museum Time // So, I’ve learned a few things about Sudan just by being here. I’ve always thought of Sudan as just plain desert, and there is a lot of that, but there are also grassy plains and fertile lands. Along with the Sahara that covers most of the land, there is also the Nubian Desert. It’s funny, the Nile is split into two sections here, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. Okay, so here I am at this museum. I’ve learned that this country became independent in 1956, and became Africa’s 54th state. It’s now a Military Government. Some major ethnic groups are the Atoned, the Dinka and Arab people. The major religions are Islam and the traditional African religions. This countries economy is mainly based on farming. Farmers grow sugarcane, grains, nuts, cotton and a few other things. They raise sheep and mine gold for export. All right, fine. That’s enough learning for today. I’ll be back for some fun facts tomorrow.

// Day 6: Museums Are Boring! // One thing I’ve learned? Don’t go to a museum in Sudan. They’re super boring here. I only learned a few fun facts. One of them is than nearly 95,000 children under the age of five in southern Sudan died in the year 2012 from diseases that could have been prevented, but the proper precautions weren’t taken. Sad fact, not fun, sorry about that. Anyway, the adult literacy rate of Sudan is 69%, just random. You know what? I’m just gonna scram to my next country. It’s to boring here. Oh well, hit and miss I guess. On to the next. **__Kenya __** // Day 7: Kamping in Kenya (Yes, I know camping is spelled wrong! It’s a pun, duh.) // Yup, that’s right. No hotel plumbing for me tonight! Camping in the total wilderness of Kenya… just something different and fun, I guess. Plus I have a tour guide, so I’ll learn a lot (and hopefully won’t get lost) while on this trip. She’s already told me a bunch of pre-info about the history and economy and stuff. I can already tell from my surrounding that this place is full of palm trees and wildlife. But my guide also told me there were lots of coral reefs, too, along with the Great Rift Valley and, of course, Mount Kenya. Kenya won it’s independence from Britain in 1963 and became a republic. However, despite their efforts of being independent, they have a weak government. They have a free enterprise system, so farmers can raise corn, bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes and other things. Coffee and tea are there exports, but they profit greatly off of tourism. Cool fact? The Swahili language originated here! Well, I gotta go do some hiking. I’ll write more tomorrow. //Day 8: More Kamping (I hope you know it’s a put by now) // Okay, being out here is cool and all, but I miss my plumbing and air conditioner! I am hiking in Kenya in the dead middle of February, when it’s hottest here. But it’s really fun, so I guess it’s worth it. Anyway, I learned more stuff! Wanna hear it? Well, too bad if you said no. They have 40 different ethnic groups and their main languages here are Swahili and English. Kenyans here believe in what is called harambee in their main Swahili language. It translates to "pulling together" in English. So, no matter what, their people always find a way to stick together. I’ll leave you on that good note. Anyway, time to catch my next plane. I’m off to Congo!

//**__Region 3: Central Africa __**// **__Congo __** //Day 9:Bukavu // Here in Congo, I’m visiting the city of Bukavu. I’ve decided to do some pre-research about the place because I couldn’t find a guide and the last time I self-toured it wasn’t fun. So… yeah. Here’s a little info. This country won its independence from France in 1960. But the government is now a dictatorship, and that’s not good. The place is made up of low mountain ranges and plateaus. They have the Congo River, which provides lot of hydroelectric power and access to the Atlantic Ocean. They are able to trade because of this, and that helps their economy. They export lumber, oil, and diamonds. Well, it’s noon now and I’ve gotta go eat. I’ll write more tomorrow!

//Day 10: Bukavu Part 2 // Okay, so I’ve learned just by being here one of their major languages is French, but I’ve read their others are Lingala and Monk. The literacy rate in 81% and their life expectancy is only 47 years. Some fun facts? The Congo River is the most powerful river in all of Africa. On average, one million four hundred thousand cubic feet of water flows into the Atlantic Ocean every second. The Congo River is also the second largest river in the world, next to the Nile. Well, I gotta go catch my next flight. I’m off to the Central Africa Republic (C.A.R.)!

**__Central African Republic (C.A.R.) __** //Day 11: Wildlife Spotting // Here in the C.A.R. I’m going wildlife spotting. Yeah, I just got so pumped from camping I wanted to do more, but I wanted my air conditioner and bathroom back, so I’ll just look at the animals. The drive around gets a little boring when you don’t see anything for a while, so the driver has told me all this cool stuff about the country. So this place is basically made up of a bunch of hills and a little plateau. They have this really cool waterfall called the Les Chutes de la Mbi and a couple of really good national parks and reserves. They were once united with Chad (of which I plan on visiting next) as part of a French colony in 1894. They were once an empire, too, but eventually they got over all that and became a republic. They export cacao, cotton, tobacco, and rubber. They import diamonds. Oh, wait…! Is that an elephant!? Uh, sorry, gotta go get this shot… I’ll write more later! //Day 12: Wildlife Spotting Part 2 // Sorry I didn’t get a chance to write more yesterday like I’d promised; there was just suddenly a whole string of animals that came out of nowhere! I had to get the pictures. Anyway, my driver told me a little more info. Most people here farm for a living and speak Sango, despite French being the official language. Their literacy rate is only 49% and there life expectancy is even less than that! Only 45! Isn’t that insane!? I'll close the day with a few fun facts. Here are a couple. In the C.A.R. as of the year 2000, there were about 9,500 telephones. Their total population is about 3,512,751 people. So… yeah. As you know I’m off to Chad and I’ll write you tomorrow!

**__Region 4: West Africa __** **__Chad __** //Day 13: Floating Down the Chari River // Alright, so here I am in Chad. I’ve decided to go on a nice and relaxing river ride down the Chari. I have all the time in the world to write, I’m just hoping my journal doesn’t get wet. So, obviously, I’ve done a little research. This country is included with the Sahel countries. They only have short grasses and small trees as a result of the little rainfall they receive. They have very few rivers and water resources. They don't have a lot of fertile land, either. 3 empires thrived and fell in this country from the A.D. 500’s to 1960, when Chad became independent. In January 2011, they celebrated 50 years in independence from France. They are now a republic. Sorry I chose to write so late in the day. It’s getting dark now and soon I won’t be able to see. We’ll have to stop for the night right about now, too. I’ll write more later.

//Day 14: Floating Even Farther Down the Chari River // I’ve found just a bit more information about the economy and culture of Chad. Most of the people who live here are subsistence farmers who grow grains. They have a very small population and most people live in small towns. They practice a mix of African, Arab and European traditions. Muslim is the main religion. The country has many petroleum deposits, but lacks the money needed to build pipelines. This hold back their economy. Well, the river trip is over. I have to say, I really enjoyed the relaxation. Now, off to Nigeria!

**__Nigeria __** //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 15: Victoria Island // So, here in Nigeria, I’m goanna be visiting Victoria Island. There is very beautiful scenery here, but I’ve also gained a lot of information about the entire country from the friendly locals. This country I’m in right now is twice the size of California. It is full of mangrove swamps, tropical rainforests, savannas, highlands, and plateaus. The Niger River also flows through here. There is no stable government here, but people are able to vote for presidents in free elections. Along with the major oil production, factories make food, textiles, chemicals, machinery, and vehicles to help their economy. On top of all that, they are a lead producer of cacao beans. In the 1980’s, though, the country hit a low. Oil prices dropped, so income dropped. Not long after that, they had low rainfall for a couple of years, so there were smaller harvests. Food production then dropped. Nigeria, at one extremely low point in their history, had to import food to feed it’s people. Well, I’m goanna go enjoy the scenery. I’ll write more tomorrow.

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 16: Victoria Island Part 2 // The scenery here is amazing, but all the different people here are even more interesting. There are 250 ethnic groups here. They have a variety of religions, including traditional African, Muslim and Christian. Did you know that in 1986 a Nigerian writer, Wole Sayinca, became the first African in win the Noble Prize in literature? Just a cool fun fact I thought you’d like to hear. Anyway, I’m outta here, I’ve seen enough scenery. On to my next and last region…

**__<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Region 5: South Africa __**  **__<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Zambia __** //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 17: Another Victoria Place!? Yup, Victoria Falls // I’ve found a place to be in Zambia: Victoria Falls. What can I say? It’s very wet here. Anyway, as always I’ve found a bunch of information on Zambia. I had to search the internet on my own time this time. Not fun, but I did find a bunch of cool stuff. On October 24th, 1964, Zambia became independent from Britain. The Zambians then took over this place is full of high plateaus, mountains, and swamps. It is full of land marks, such as the Zambezi River, Kariba dam, and Victoria Falls (The locals know Victoria Falls as “Smoke that Thunders”). The Kariba dam makes hydroelectricity, supporting Zambia’s Economy. They also export copper, but they must also import a lot of food because their government, which is a republic, is weak. Well, I gotta go get some pictures of this amazing waterfall, I’ll write more tomorrow.

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 18: Victoria Falls // Okay, so I’m back at these beautiful falls, only today is a longer trek then yesterday to get to view the falls from another angle. I had to wake up earlier and I have less time to write today, so I’ll make it quick. There are over 70 ethnic groups that live here, but overall English is the official language. There are only a couple of main religions here, and those are Christianity and other traditional African religions. A couple of fun facts are the life expectancy is only 37 and there literacy rate is at 20%. Would you believe me if I told you the drinking age there is 16? Yeah, I didn’t believe it either! But, anyway, I gotta get going to my final destination, the forests of Madagascar…

**__<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Madagascar __** //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 19: Forests in Madagascar // This place is very… out of my way. I normally wouldn’t be in a place like the forest, but you only live once. Anyway, this is my last stop, and I want to make the most of it, so I found a tour guide to tell me a bunch of stuff about this place. This amazing country has many plants and animals that are not found elsewhere. The Mozambique Channel is also found here. Like many other countries in Africa, this island gained it’s independents in 1960 and is a multiparty republic. Their economy relies on agriculture, fish and forestry to make money. Their main cash crop, though, is coffee. A fun fact? This country produces most of the worlds’ vanilla beans. Well, I’ve gotta stop writing now, we’ve gotta find a place to camp for the night.

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Day 20: I hate Mosquitoes! //  Ugh! I’m itchy all over! Those bugs tore me up last night. Especially the mosquitoes. I hate mosquitoes! What a wonderful goodbye present (note the sarcasm). Well, today is my last day, then back to America I go. I don’t really want to leave, I’ll miss all the culture and scenery and my unlimited spending money… I’ll enjoy my last few hours. I only gained a couple more sentences worth of information, and that is only 22% of the people here live in cities and music and dance is a cherished art here. It’s finally time for my flight out. Back home I go. I hope everyone enjoys my journal there… Goodbye Africa, hope to be back soon!

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 230%;">Work Cited Boehm, R. G. (2005). Glencoe The World and its people: Eastern hemisphere(Teacher wraparound ed.). New York, N.Y.: Glencoe/McGraw Hill. Category. (n.d.). World Life Expectancy Chart. Geography Home Page - Geography at About.com. Retrieved May 22, 2013, from http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm

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Landmarks of the Central African Republic | USA Today. (n.d.). Travel Tips - USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2013, from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/landmarks-central-african-republic-104598.htm