nPostednon October 1, 2013
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Todaynis Day 2 of a huge agricultural and trade fair in Nairobi, thencapital city of Kenya in Africa. It’s the largest trade show innEastern Africa.
Todaynis Day 2 of a huge agricultural and trade fair in Nairobi, thencapital city of Kenya in Africa. It’s the largest trade show innEastern Africa.n
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nInread that farmers are really proud to be chosen to display theirnprize cattle or cabbages in this show. The Facebook page for the shownfeatures photos of carnival rides as well as crops and farm critters. n
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nNairobinitself is the East African hub for politics and finance, culture andntourism. Several “villa suburbs” are spreading around it, andnNairobi has become the most populous city in the region.
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Onenof the most interesting things about the geography of the city isnthat it is near the Great Rift Valley. This valley is part of thenEast African Rift System, in which one of the rocky plates that covernthe Earth is literally splitting apart—making two new plates. Asnlava rises to fill the gap caused by the plates moving apart, newnland is formed, earthquakes shake the area, volcanos arise and erupt,nand even lakes form—long, skinny, shallow rift-like lakes thatnoften become more and more alkaline.
Onenof the most interesting things about the geography of the city isnthat it is near the Great Rift Valley. This valley is part of thenEast African Rift System, in which one of the rocky plates that covernthe Earth is literally splitting apart—making two new plates. Asnlava rises to fill the gap caused by the plates moving apart, newnland is formed, earthquakes shake the area, volcanos arise and erupt,nand even lakes form—long, skinny, shallow rift-like lakes thatnoften become more and more alkaline.n
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nThenrift system not only pulls apart rocky layers, it also exposesnfossils from long ago creatures. That is the main reason thatnscientists have found so many fossils of early hominids, ancestors tonmodern humans, there. n
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nWenare all African…
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nTherenis evidence of several different sorts that modern humans evolved innEast Africa and then immigrated to all the “corners” of thenworld. Interestingly, one bit of evidence is that the native peoplesnof Eastern African are very, very diverse. They are tall and short,ndark-skinned and light-skinned, round-faced and narrow-faced. Theynhave more genetic and mitochondrial variation than othernsimilarly-sized areas of the world. n
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| Some of the varied peoples of East Africa |
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nOfncourse, we are used to diversity these days. Here in America, fornexample, most areas are “melting pots” of peoples from Asia,nAfrica, Europe, and the Americas. However, the diversity we arendiscussing in Eastern Africa is among peoples who have lived in thatnarea for centuries or millennia. n
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nAnd…
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nInmourn for those affected by the tragic shopping mall attack innNairobi this week. I wonder if the attack has affected the plannedntrade show and wish everybody in the city well.
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nAlsonon this date:
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Fire Pup Day
Fire Pup Day n
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Anniversarynof the first postcard
Anniversarynof the first postcardn
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RaccoonnAppreciation Day
RaccoonnAppreciation Dayn
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nInternationalnMusic Day
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for October holidays, October birthdays, andnhistorical anniversaries in October.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for November holidays, Novemberbirthdays, and historical anniversaries in November. n
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