Friday, July 15, 2005
Vredefort's heritage
UNESCO has named the Vredefort crater, impact site of the biggest known meteorite to hit Earth, as a world heritage site. I mentioned the crater in my first blog, relating its proximity to the Sterkfontein caves in terms of the possibility of it having sparked life (relative intelligence) once the destruction caused by the impact had settled down.
South Africa now has 7 world heritage sites, with the crater joining other classic sites, like the St Lucia wetlands and Robben Island.
A complete list of the 788 world heritage sites shows a clear current bias towards European sites, but I'm sure Africa will one day reclaim its position as the cultural centre of the world. I can think of many South African sites that ought to meet the criteria, like some of the older diamond, gold and other mines, Mandela's birthplace, the Tsitsikamma and the Kruger Park.
South Africa now has 7 world heritage sites, with the crater joining other classic sites, like the St Lucia wetlands and Robben Island.
A complete list of the 788 world heritage sites shows a clear current bias towards European sites, but I'm sure Africa will one day reclaim its position as the cultural centre of the world. I can think of many South African sites that ought to meet the criteria, like some of the older diamond, gold and other mines, Mandela's birthplace, the Tsitsikamma and the Kruger Park.
