Namibia

Namibia, officially Republic of Namibia, also called (internationally until 1968) South West Africa, this country located on the southwestern coast of Africa is for the most part desert In the southeast portion is the Kalahari a desert that spills over into South Africa and Botswana meanwhile on the western coast is the Namib. It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southeast and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It ranges from arid in the north to desert on the coast and in the east. The landscape is spectacular, but the desert, mountains, canyons, and savannas are perhaps better to see than to occupy.

The Caprivi Strip feels as far removed from the rest of the country as it looks on the map. It is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north; and by Botswana to the south. At the Strip’s western end lies the bustling town of Rundu, while the largest town in the east is Katima Mulilo. Four of Southern Africa’s most impressive rivers (the Kavango, the Chobe, the Zambezi and the Cuando) run through the region at various points, transforming the Caprivi into a lush green oasis.

An abundance of water in a country otherwise plagued by drought makes the Caprivi a hotspot for eco-tourists. River safaris and birding excursions offer a greener alternative to the dry landscapes to the south. Fishing is another top activity in the Caprivi, catfish, tilapia – and the ferocious tigerfish can all be found in the Caprivi Strip.

Both the Namib and Kalahari deserts are characterized by exotic, fragile desert plants. The mountains are sparsely wooded, and the plateau is predominantly scrub bush and grass. Trees are much more frequent in the north. Varieties of aloe are common throughout the plateau and the less sandy portions of the Kalahari..

Listed below are a small sample of life ranging from mammal to insect originating from Namibia.

Web-Footed Gecko, or palmatogecko (Pachydactylus rangei), of the Namib desert, Africa, use dew drops it collects on its lidless eyes to survive in the heat.

Black Mamba the fastest snake in the world cran grow up to 15 feet in length and is equipped with a deadly venom listed to be within the top 15 most deadly venoms. The black mamba is actually brownish in color, ranging from olive to greyish tones, with paler bellies. Their name comes from the color of the inside of their mouths, which is of course black.

White Lady Spider (leucorchestris arenicola) is a huntsman spider found in the deserts of Namibia. Not to be confused with the wheel spider from the same locale. It relies on seismic vibrations for communication. It taps its foremost legs on the sand to send messages to other white lady spiders.

The dune lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to Namibia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

The flap-necked chameleon is a species of arboreal chameleon native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is in heavy demand for the international pet trade, being the third most highly traded chameleon species.

The Round-Eared Sengi (macroscelides) is a genus of small shrew-like animals, the round-eared sengis (also called elephant shrews), found in western Namibia and in South Africa; they are members of the clade Afrotheria. There are three known species: Namib round-eared sengi.

Namibia is richly endowed with game, albeit poaching has seriously diminished it in parts of the north. Throughout the ranching zone, game (notably antelope and giraffes) coexists with cattle and sheep. The Etosha Pan in the north is a major game area and tourist attraction.

Namibia is for the most part desert and one might ask how could there be a lot to say about a desert? But surprisingly I could have used 5 times more content than it ended up having. The most challenging thing about making this page wasn’t finding content but rather what to discard.

The Kalahari and Namib Deserts

The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for 900,000 square kilometers, covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia and regions of South Africa. The land is mostly flat, and gently undulating covered with bush and grasses covering the sand dunes, and areas of larger trees. Many of the river valleys are fossilized with salt pans. Four fossilized rivers meander through the reserve including Deception Valley which began to form around 16,000 years ago

Namibia is Simply Amazing

Kalahari desert supports wildlife such as South African giraffe, bush elephant, white rhino, cape buffalo, spotted hyena, brown hyena, honey badger, meerkat, yellow mongoose, warthog, South African cheetah, caracal, Cape wild dog, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, cape fox, African leopard, lion, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, common eland, sable antelope, gemsbok, springbok, steenbok, impala, greater kudu, aardvark, cape ground squirrel, cape hare, cape porcupine, chacma baboon, red hartebeest and ostrich.

Namibia

The Kalahari and Namib Deserts

Namibia is Simply Amazing

Take a peek inside Namibia

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