The Cradle of Humankind, a UN World Heritage Site, has been hosting teams of scientists since 1936, digging in caves rich in fossil remains of the first ancestors who walked out of Africa to Europe and Asia some two million years ago.

The new interpretation center was inaugurated by President Thabo Mbeki in December, and features exhibits that highlight the African origins of humankind and offering tours to the nearby Sterkfontein caves, the oldest continuous paleo-anthropological dig in the world.

"It's all about the past, where we came from," said tour guide Janietjie Motshwane, describing the new center located northwest of Johannesburg at Maropeng, which means 'the place where we once lived' in Tswana.

'Mrs Ples' and 'Little Foot'
It was there that 'Mrs Ples', the skull of an Australopithecus ? a species that predates homo sapiens and whose brain was three times smaller than that of modern-day humans ? was found in 1947.

'Mrs Ples', which recent studies show may have been a male, lived over two million years ago and the discovery of the fossil provided the first strong evidence establishing Africa as the cradle of humankind.

The spectacular 'Little Foot', an almost complete ape-man skeleton dating back to some four million to 3.3 million years ago was also uncovered in 1994 in the Sterkfontein caves, where some of the fossils remain, sealed off from the public.

"Little Foot remains worldwide the most significant hominid fossil finding," said Trish Hanekom, executive director of the Cradle of Humankind.

At Sterkfontein alone, more than 800 hominid fossils have been found, offering what Hanekom described as the "most prolific evidence of the origins of humankind."

But Hanekom says the new centre also provides long-overdue recognition to generations of scientists whose work on human evolution at the site flew in the face of the former apartheid government's racist views.

"In the face of quite strong opposition and certainly not much support from the government, they continued to do their research," said Hanekom.

"We hope that this site will be able to play a role in helping people understand where we came from, the diversity and also what unites us," she said.

Keeping it in the family
Comprising 13 excavation sites, the Cradle of Humankind is 47 000 hectares of mostly-privately owned land including Swartkrans, site of the earliest known use of fire, around 1.3 million years ago.

The visitor center, housed in a tumulus that resembles an ancient burial mound, features exhibits on a range of topics about the human family tree, including DNA and evolving human dietary needs.

Construction on the visitor's centre began last year as part of efforts by the provincial Gauteng government to boost tourism around Johannesburg and shed the city's image as Cape Town's ugly sister.

Hanekom said between 600 000 and one million visitors are expected to come to the Cradle of Humankind annually.

For more information, visit www.sterkfontein.co.za.