- Area: 600,000 sq. M. km
- Height above sea level: 1000 m
"We live in Zanzibar, in Kalahari and Sahara ...". Who among us in my childhood did not read these lines! And who can answer, where is the Kalahari desert, in which country?
It is not difficult to find the Kalahari desert on a map: it is located on the territory of three African countries - Namibia , South Africa and Botswana, occupying the southwestern part of the Kalahar depression. Of the three largest deserts in Africa, Kalahari occupies the second largest area in terms of area, second only to the Sahara (for comparison: the Sahara area is 9,065,000 square kilometers, Kalahari is 600,000, and the third largest Namib desert is "only" 100,000 square kilometers ).
General information
Sometimes you can find other data on the desert area: the figures are 930 000 sq. M. km. However, in fact, this is not the area of the desert, but the area of the basin occupied by the Kalahar Sands, which is called Mega-Kalahari. It should be noted that the area of both the desert and the basin gradually increases; The basin, in addition to Namibia, Botswana and the Republic of South Africa, occupies part of the territory of Angola and Zambia.
Soils of Kalahari have very low fertility. They were formed mainly by sands of limestone rocks. With its reddish color, which so distinctly distinguishes the Kalahari photo from photos of other deserts, the sands are due to the high content of iron oxide. In Kalahari there are deposits of coal, diamonds and copper.
The unofficial "capital" of Kalahari is the Botswana city of Ganzi. In the Kalahar basin, near the border of the desert itself, is the capital of Namibia, the city of Windhoek .
The famous Kalahari landmark in Namibia is the Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park ; it is located between the borders of Namibia and Botswana.
Climate
In different parts of the Kalahari falls from 250 mm (in the south and south-west) to 1000 mm (in the north) of precipitation per year. Most of them fall out in the summer in the form of zenithal rains; Most often this happens either at night or immediately after noon, and rains are usually accompanied by thunderstorms. To appreciate all the splendor of Kalahari can be just in the rainy season.
The sun is standing in the midday time high above the horizon, even in the winter. Because of the low humidity of the clouds over the Kalahari almost never happens. In summer the air warms up to + 35 ° C or more in the daytime, the soil heats up so much that even locals can not walk barefoot here. However, due to the low humidity, the heat is transferred relatively easily.
Night temperatures even in summer are much lower - around + 15 ... + 18 ° С. In winter, at night, the thermometer goes down to 0 ° C, and rises to + 20 ° C and higher in the daytime.
The Kalahari Rivers
The most famous river is the Kalahari - Okavango; it is known primarily because it does not go anywhere: throughout its long way (the length of the river is 1600 km, it occupies the fourth place in South Africa in length), the Okavango loses up to 95% of its moisture, which simply evaporates from its surface.
The river ends in the swamps in the northwest of Kalahari. The Okavango is part of the border between Namibia and Botswana. And during the rainy season, it fills its waters with Lake Ngami. There are also other rivers in Kalahari: Nosop, Molopo and Avob. They fill with water only during the rainy season, and at other times they dry up.
There are also lakes here: in the Makgadikgadi hollow there is a large lake of the same name, which is one of the largest saline lakes in the world, as well as the Soa and Ntvetve reservoirs.
The vegetable world of the desert
In fact, Kalahari is not exactly a desert in the usual sense of the word. It is rather a savannah, in which xeromorphic plants grow. Here are common types:
- ohn;
- antelpy cucumber;
- crotalia;
- ziziphus;
- greece;
- terminal;
- hudiya gordony;
- the white-haired bosce;
- shepherd's tree.
Large areas are covered with wild watermelon tsam. They often save people and animals from thirst.
Fauna of the Kalahari
Fauna of the desert is more diverse than its flora. The "main" animals of Kalahari are, of course, lions. There are also smaller predators here: leopards, hyenas, South African foxes. Also in the desert live such animals as:
- opossum;
- a flying dog;
- zebra;
- baboon;
- giraffe;
- antelopes - wildebeest and jumpers;
- the stalwart.
But camels in the Kalahari are not found. But here you can see a lot of different birds, as well as reptiles - snakes and lizards.
Population
In the desert there are several tribes. Bushmen Kalahari live by hunting and gathering.
How to get to Kalahari?
It's not desirable to go to the desert by yourself; it is better to buy a ready tour. Often it includes a visit not only to the Kalahari, but also to the Namib desert.