Everything about Namib Desert totally explained
The
Namib Desert is a
desert in
Namibia and southwest
Angola which forms part of the
Namib-Naukluft National Park, Africa's second largest. The name "Namib" is of
Nama origin. The desert occupies an area of around 50 000 km², stretching about 1000 miles (1,600 km) along the
Atlantic Ocean coast of
Namibia, which is named after this desert. Its east-west width varies from 30 to 100 miles (50-160 km). The Namib Desert also reaches into southwest
Angola. It is one of the 500 distinct
physiographic provinces of the
South African Platform physiographic division.
The area is considered one of the oldest
deserts in the world, having endured
arid or semi-arid conditions for at least 55 million years after the
Atacama Desert. Its aridity is caused by the descent of dry air of the
Hadley Cell, cooled by the cold
Benguela current along the coast. It has less than 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain annually and is almost completely barren.
A number of unusual
species of
plants and
animals are found only in this desert. One of these is
Welwitschia mirabilis, one of the most unusual species.
Welwitschia is a shrub-like plant, but grows just two long strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. These leaves may be several meters long, gnarled and twisted from the desert winds. The
taproot of the plant develops into a flat, concave disc in age.
Welwitschia is notable for its survival in the extremely arid conditions in the Namib, sometimes deriving moisture from the coastal sea fogs.
Although the desert is largely unpopulated and inaccessible, there are year-round settlements at Sesriem, close to the famous
Sossusvlei and a huge group of
sand dunes, which at up to 340 meters high are among the tallest sand dunes in the world. The complexity and regularity of dune patterns in its
dune sea have attracted the attention of
geologists for decades; however, they remain poorly understood.
The interaction between the water-laden air coming from the sea via southerly
winds, some of the strongest of any coastal desert, and the dry air of the desert causes immense
fogs and strong currents, causing sailors to lose their way. Along with the
Skeleton Coast further north, it's notorious as the site of many
shipwrecks. Some of these wrecked ships can be found as much as 50 metres inland, as the desert is slowly creeping westwards into the sea, reclaiming land over a period of many years.
The Namib is an important location for the mining of
tungsten,
salt and
diamonds.
Access is by light aircraft from
Windhoek (the capital of Namibia, about 480 km east of the centre of the desert),
Swakopmund and
Walvis Bay at the north end of the desert, or overland on gravel roads.
Further Information
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