HAVE you ever wondered what it's like to live on the wide Serengeti Plains or experience the beauty of a night in the Sahara Desert？Africa is full of such wonderful surprises. 你是否曾经想象过居住在辽阔的塞伦盖蒂草原上或是领略一夜美丽的撒哈拉沙漠的风光？非洲就是如此一处神奇的地域。
The China-Africa Co-operation Forum was held in Beijing last week. It was an opportunity for many Chinese to get to know African countries and their cultures. 中非合作论坛于上周在北京举行。对于很多中国人来说，这是了解非洲的国家和文化的一个好时机。
The second largest continent on earth (the largest is Asia), Africa is almost three times the size of China. It is surrounded by water on all sides and is home to big deserts, tropical rain forests, rugged mountains and rich grasslands. 非洲作为地球上的第二大陆（第一大陆是亚洲），它的面积几乎有中国的三倍大。它四面环水，境内遍布辽阔沙漠、热带雨林、苍莽群山和肥沃草原。
Because of its geography and climate, Africa has an amazing variety of wildlife. Many animals in Africa are found nowhere else in the world, such as African elephants and Nile crocodiles. 非洲由于其独特的地理和气候拥有种类惊人的野生动植物。非洲的很多动物诸如非洲象和尼罗河鳄鱼在世界上是绝无仅有的。
Africa is also rich in culture. It has the oldest human history on earth. For example, ancient Egypt has interested people around the world for centuries. Many different peoples and tribes, each with their own unique culture, live in Africa. The natural beauty, precious wildlife, and mysterious culture attract an increasing number of tourists from around the world every year. Sixteen African countries such as Egypt and South Africa are now open to Chinese as tourist destinations. 非洲的文化也极其丰富。它拥有地球上最古老的人类历史。比如，几个世纪以来古埃及一直吸引着世界各地的人们。非洲还居住着很多不同的民族和部落，他们都有各自独特的文化。每年，这里美丽的自然风光、珍奇的野生动物和神秘的文化都吸引着越来越多的游客。现在，非洲有埃及、南非等16个国家旅游景点面对中国开放。
A few interesting facts about Africa: 非洲趣味史实： *The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was the world's tallest architectural construction for 4,000 years until the creation of the Eiffel Tower. *在艾菲尔铁塔建造前的4000年间，埃及的吉萨大金字塔一直是世界上最高的建筑。
*The Nile, flowing through nine countries, is the longest river on earth. *尼罗河流经九个国家，是地球上最长的河流。
*The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was the world's tallest architectural construction for 4,000 years until the creation of the Eiffel Tower. *在艾菲尔铁塔建造前的4000年间，埃及的吉萨大金字塔一直是世界上最高的建筑。
*The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. It has no natural enemies for there are none large enough to challenge it. *非洲象是居住在陆地上的最大的哺乳动物。它没有自然天敌，因为没有什么东西能大到对它构成威胁。
