kalahari

     

The Kalahari Desert is a large ari to semi-arid sandy area in southern Kgalagadi Africa extending 900,000 km² (362,500 sq. mi.), covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It has huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography is a portion of desert and a plateau. The Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not true desert. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. It usually receives 3-7 1/2 inches of rain per year. The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 2.5 million km² extending further into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called omuramba—traverse the Central Northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season. Previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopard or cheetah can still be found.

Trivia about kalahari

  • Boer voortrekkers who attempted to cross this desert in the late 19th century called it the "Thirstland"
  • In addition to its bountiful wildlife, this desert is the site of the Orapa diamond mine, one of the world's largest
  • This desert is home to Africa's Bushmen
  • Located in the southwestern part of the continent, it's the second-largest desert in Africa
  • Much of the southern African country of Botswana is covered by this desert
  • One of the world's largest diamond mines is located in Orapa, Botswana, in the northeastern part of this desert
  • The southern part of this desert extends into South Africa's Cape province
  • This desert covers much of western Botswana
  • In the middle of the century David Livingstone crossed this desert in the southwest of Africa
  • In a tradition stretching back millennia, residents of this desert in Botswana use ostrich eggs as water jugs
  • The name of this desert comes from a Tswana word meaning "great thirst" or "waterless place"
  • Botswana's Okavango Swamp is a remnant of an inland sea that once covered this desert
  • Hoodia, sold as an appetite suppressant, is used to reduce hunger by the native San of this S. Africa desert
  • The lion seen here is from this desert in southern Africa, where they, very sensibly, do most of their hunting at night
  • It extends into Namibia, but the majority of this desert is in Botswana

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