Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Namibia

Geography

Drainage of the desert is by dry black valleys, seasonally inundated pans, and the large salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and Etosha Pan in Namibia. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called Ouramba—traverse the central northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season.

A semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert, such as the Namib Desert to the west. There is little rainfall, and the summer temperature is very high.

Climate

The climate is sub-humid rather than semi-arid in the north and east, where the dry forests, savannahs, and salt lakes prevail. South and west, where the vegetation is predominantly xeric savanna or even a semi-desert, the climate is "Kalaharian" semi-arid. The Kalaharian climate is subtropical: average annual temperature greater than or equal to 18 °C (64 °F), at peaks reaching 40 °C (104 °F) and above, with mean monthly temperature of the coldest month strictly below 18 °C (64 °F), and is semi-arid with the dry season from April to September, the coldest six months of the year. It is the southern tropical equivalent of the Sahelian climate with the wet season during summer.

History

The Kalahari Desert was not always an arid environment. Geological and paleoclimatic evidence suggests that during parts of the late Pleistocene, the region experienced significantly wetter and cooler conditions. Fossil flora and fauna from Gcwihaba Cave in northwestern Botswana indicate that the area supported more abundant vegetation and permanent water sources between roughly 30,000 and 11,000 Before Present (BP), with the most humid period occurring after 17,500 BP. Sediment cores, pollen records, and fossilized animal remains from other parts of the Kalahari, including the Makgadikgadi Pans and Okavango Basin, corroborate these findings, showing evidence of large paleolakes and river systems that once covered much of what is now desert.

History

One of the oldest shipwrecks in the Skeleton Coast region is that of the Bom Jesus, near the town of Oranjemund. It ran aground during the 1530s and is known to be one of the oldest discovered shipwrecks of the Iberian Atlantic tradition in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Past human occupation by Strandlopers is shown by shell middens of white mussels found along parts of the Skeleton Coast.

In 1942 the British refrigerated cargo liner Dunedin Star ran aground. All her 106 passengers and crew were eventually rescued, but at the cost of a tug, an SAAF aircraft and the lives of two rescuers. The account is recorded in a book Skeleton Coast by John Henry Marsh.

Location and description

Etosha, meaning 'Great White Place' in Oshindonga, is made of a large mineral pan.

The area exhibits a characteristic white and greenish surface, which spreads over 4,800 square kilometres (1,900 mi2). The pan is believed to have developed through tectonic activity over about ten million years. Around 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across the land masses of the Northern Hemisphere, a wet-climate phase in Southern Africa caused the Etosha Lake to be filled up. Today, however, the Etosha Pan is mostly made up of dry clay split into hexagonal shapes as it dries and cracks and is seldom seen with even a thin sheet of water covering it.

Geography

The Kaokoland area extends south-north from the Hoanib river to the Kunene river (that also marks the border between Namibia and Angola). It is largely mountainous, with the northern Baynes Mountains reaching their maximum elevation at 2039 m. Other notable mountain ranges of Kaokoland include the Otjihipa Mountains (to the north) and the Hartmann Mountains (to the east). The land is generally dry and rocky, especially to the south, where it borders on the Namib Desert; nevertheless, it has several rivers as well as falls. The most notable falls in Kaokoland are the Ruacana Falls (120 m high, 700 m wide) and the Epupa Falls, both formed by the Kunene river. The northern part of Kaokoland is greener, with vegetation thriving valleys such as the Marienfluss and Hartmann Valley.

History

Before colonialism, Kaokoland was mostly inhabited by the Ovambo, Nama, and Herero people. In the second half of the 19th century, a group of Herero crossed the Kunene River, migrating north to what is now Angola, joining with the Bushmen in Southern Angola; the modern day Himba people originated from this Angolan Herero group. In 1884, Kaokoland became part of German South West Africa, and the Namibian Herero people changed much of their habits and costumes as a consequence of German rule. After World War I, South Africa received the mandate from the League of Nations to administer the territory of Namibia, which became, for all practical purposes, a province of South Africa.

Tourism and transportation

After the end of the bush war, Kaokoland has become a common tourist destination in Namibia, due to its proximity to the Etosha National Park (to the south), the unspoiled nature (with several spots suitable for activities such as rafting and trekking), and the opportunity to visit traditional Himba villages. Notable landmarks in the area include the Epupa Falls, Sesfontein, Himba villages, and the Ondurusa Rapids.

Kaokoland is one of the wildest regions of Southern Africa, with very few roads and structures. The only road that is accessible to non-4WD vehicles is the one connecting Sesfontein and Opuwo. Many roads in Kaokoland are often in very bad condition and may even be challenging for 4WDs, especially during the rainy season.