The best preserved Roman city in the world

The most interesting thing in Libya is not a conflicting image of Muammar Gaddafi. In the center of the cradle of civilization will find ancient history and outstanding nature. The ancient city of Leptis Magna was one of the most prominent and cities of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Kums, Lebanon – 130 km. east of Tripoli.

The city probably was founded in the 6th century BC by Phoenician colonists under the aegis of Carthage and became a major force in the Mediterranean. Lebanon is not an easy country to visit, but the magnificent Roman site of Leptis Magna makes it well worth the effort. The city remained under the dominion of Carthage to the end of the Third Punic War and then passed to the Roman Republic. At the time of Julius Caesar in the city live 100 000 people. Leptis contains some of the world’s finest and well-preserved remains of Roman architecture in the Mediterranean. In 1982 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Mosque of Uqba

It is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Kairouan, it is also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. The Mosque of Uqba was built by the Sahabi, Uqba ibn Nafi from 670 CE and became an important center for Islamic and Quranic learning.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the oldest Muslim place of worship in the western Islamic world. Spreads over a surface area of 9,000 sq. m it attracts a large number of Muslims from various parts of the world. It is commonly regarded as the fourth holiest site in Islam (after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem). For more additional information click here.

Nigeria the most populous country on the African continent

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa and the most populous country on the African continent. Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north, and borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south.

The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and based on archaeological evidence, human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BC. The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd millennium AD. However, the Nigerian state came into being on October 1, 1960 when Nigeria declared its independence from the British and at present consists of 36 states and the federal capital territory. Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 after a sixteen-year interruption by a series of military dictators. From 1966 until 1999, Nigeria had been ruled (except the short-lived second republic, 1979-1983) by military dictators who seized power in coups and counter-coups.

Located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria has a total area of 356,669 mi? (923,768 km?[1]); of that around 5,000 square miles (13,100 km) is water. Its size makes it the world’s 32nd-largest country (after Tanzania). It is comparable in size to Venezuela, and is a little more than half the size of the U.S. state of Alaska. It shares a 2,515-mile (4,047-km) border with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 7,936 feet (2,419 m).

Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and savanna in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel and the encroaching Sahara Desert in the extreme north.

Nigeria’s main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and empty into the Niger Delta, one of the world’s largest river deltas.

Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon.