Chobe National Park, situated at the Northwest of Botswana, is one of the largest games concentration in all the Africa continent and one of the world's last remaining sizeable wilderness area. By size, this is the third largest park of the country, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park, but definitively the most diverse and spectacular. This is also the country's first national park. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A national park is a reserve of land, usually, but not always (see National Parks of England and Wales), declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Kasane is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday and the summer of 1967 was known as The Summer of Peace and Love (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a National Park in Botswana. ... Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa. ...

Geography and ecosystems

The park can be divided up to 4 areas, corresponding each to one distinct ecosystems: A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ...

• The Serondela area (or Chobe riverfront), situated in the extreme Northeast of the park, has as main geographical features lush plains and dense teak forests. The Chobe River, which flows along the Northeastern border of the park, is a drinking spot for elephants and buffaloes at dry season. The famous bee-eater is also spotted here, along the river. This is probably the most visited park section, partly because of its proximity to the Victoria Falls. The town of Kasane, situated at the river, is the most important town of the region and serves as northern entrance to the park.

• The Savuti Marsh area, 10 878 km² large, constitutes the western stretch of the park (50 km north of Mababe Gate). The Savuti Marsh is the relic of a large inland lake whose water supply was cut a long time ago by tectonic movements. Nowadays the marsh is fed by the erratic Savuti Channel, which dries up when rainfall is abundant and floods up at other times. The channel can also stop flowing during long periods then curiously flows again, a consequence of tectonic activity in the area. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundred of dead trees along the channel's bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannahs and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park. At dry seasons, tourists going on safari often view warthogs, kudus, impalas, zebras, wildebeests and above all elephants bullying each other. At rain seasons, the rich birdlife of the park (450 species in the whole park) is well represented. Packs of lions, hyenas, zebras or more rarely cheetahs are visible as well. This region is indeed reputed for its annual migration of zebras and predators.

• The Linyanti Marsh, located at the Northwest corner of the park and to the North of Savuti, is adjacent to Linyanti River. To the west of this area lies Selinda Reserve and on the Northern bank of Kwando River is Namibia's Mamili National Park. Around these 2 rivers are riverine woodlands, open woodlands as well as lagoons, and the rest of the region mainly consists of flood plains. There are here large concentrations of lions, leopards, wild dogs, Roan antelopes, Sable antelopes, hippopotamuses and above all enormous herds of elephants. The rarer red lechwe, sitatunga or crocodile also occur in the area. Birdlife is very rich here.

• Finally, between Linyanti and Savuti Marshes lies a hot and dry hinterland, mainly occupied by the Nogatsaa grass woodland. This section is little known and is a great place for spotting elands.

Species Tectona grandis Tectona hamiltoniana Tectona philippinensis Teak (Tectona), is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae, native to the south and southeast of Asia, and is commonly found as a component of monsoon forest vegetation. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Angola, and then flows south into Namibia. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Binomial name Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779) Subspecies The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a bovid from the family of the Bovidae. ... Genera Nyctyornis Meropogon Merops The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. ... Victoria Falls entrance At lower water levels, more of the First Gorge can be seen. ... Kasane is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ... Blowdown Lake in the mountains near Pemberton, British Columbia A lake (from Latin lacus) is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Savanna at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Map of Africa 1890 Look up safari in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name (Pallas, 1766) This article is about the animal. ... Male Greater Kudu Female Greater Kudu The Kudu are two species of antelope: Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros Kudu: has a symbolic role in Hindu and Buddhist architecture. ... Binomial name Aepyceros melampus (Lichtenstein, 1812) An impala (Aepyceros melampus Greek aipos high ceros horn + melas black pous foot) is a medium-sized African antelope. ... Species Equus zebra Equus hartmannae Equus quagga Equus grevyi The Zebra is a part of the horse family, Equidae, native to central, eastern and southern Africa. ... “Gnu” redirects here. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... A monsoon is a periodic wind, especially in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Subfamilies and Genera Hyaenidae Crocuta Hyaena Parahyaena Protelinae Proteles Hyenas or Hyænas are moderately large terrestrial carnivores native to Africa, Arabia, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. ... Species Equus zebra Equus hartmannae Equus quagga Equus grevyi The Zebra is a part of the horse family, Equidae, native to central, eastern and southern Africa. ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1775) Type species Acinonyx venator Brookes, 1828 (= Felis jubata, Schreber, 1775) by monotypy The range of the Cheetah The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a vulnerable member of the cat family (Felidae), a poor climber that hunts by speed and stealth. ... Species Equus zebra Equus hartmannae Equus quagga Equus grevyi The Zebra is a part of the horse family, Equidae, native to central, eastern and southern Africa. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ... Mamili National Park is a national park in Namibia. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is an Old World mammal of the Felidae family and one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera, along with the tiger (), the lion () and the jaguar (). Once distributed across southern Eurasia and Africa from... Wild Dog may refer to one of the following: African Wild Dog — an African mammal Wild Dog (comics) — a DC Comics character Wild Dog (Time Crisis) — a villain in the Time Crisis series of videogames Category: ... Binomial name Hippotragus equinus Desmarest, 1804 The Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is a grassland antelope found in West, Central,East Africa and Southern Africa. ... Binomial name Hippotragus niger Harris, 1838 The Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) is an antelope that inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758[2] Range map[1] The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ‘ιπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus). ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Binomial name Kobus leche Gray, 1850 A female Lechwe flying over a patch of clear water early in the morning in Okavango Delta The Lechwe, or Southern Lechwe, (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in Okavango Delta of Botswana, the Kafue Flats and Bengwelu Swamps of Zambia, and the very... Binomial name Tragelaphus spekeii Sclater, 1863 The sitatunga or marshbuck (Tragelaphus spekeii) is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Botswana and in Zambia. ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... Eland might refer to: Common Eland or Taurotragus oryx a savannah and plain antelope found in East and Southern Africa. ...

Park history

The original inhabitants of this area were the San bushmen (also known as the Basarwa people in Botswana). They were nomadic hunter-gatherers who were constantly moving from place to place to find food sources, namely fruits, water and wild animals. Nowadays one can find San paintings inside rocky hills of the park. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with SAN. (Discuss) Look up san, -san in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Basarwa are a historically marginalized ethnic group native to the Botswana. ...

At the beginning of the 20th century, the region that would become Botswana was divided up to different land tenure systems. At that time, a major part of the park's area was classified as crown land. The very first idea of a national park in order to protect the varied wildlife found here, as well as to promote tourism industry, first appeared in 1931. The following year, 24'000 km² around Chobe district were officially declared non-hunting area; this area was expanded to 31'600 km² two years later (1933). (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Crown land is a designated area belonging to the Crown, the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it. ... Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A national park is a reserve of land, usually, but not always (see National Parks of England and Wales), declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

In 1943, heavy tsetse infestations occur throughout the region, making the idea of creating a national park momentarily left aside. It was only 14 years later - in 1953 - that this project received governmental attention again: 21'000 km² were suggested to become a game reserve. As a result, the Chobe Game Reserve was born in 1960 with an area smaller than originally wanted. Finally, in 1967, the reserve was declared a national park, making it the first of its kind in Botswana. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tsetse are large biting flies from Africa which live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday and the summer of 1967 was known as The Summer of Peace and Love (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

At that time there were several industrial settlements in the region, especially at Serondela where timber industry proliferated. These human settlements were gradually moved out of the park, and it was not until 1975 that the whole protected area is exempt from human activity. Nowadays traces of the old timber industry are still visible at Serondela. Minor expansions of the park took place in 1980 and 1987, making it reach its present size. For another article about a different type of logging, see data logging. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

Elephant concentration

A baby elephant on the banks of the Chobe River

The park is probably best known for its spectacular elephant population: 120,000 elephants today, it is actually the highest elephant concentration of Africa. Moreover, most of them are probably part of the largest continuous surviving elephant population on Earth. The elephant population seems to have solidly built up since 1990, from the few initial thousands. By chance, they have not been affected by the massive illicit exploitation of the 1970s and 1980's. Elephants living here are Kalahari elephants, the largest in size of all known elephant species. Yet they are characterized by rather brittle ivory and short tusks. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce A tusk is an extremely long tooth of certain mammals that protrudes when the mouth is closed. ...

Damage caused by the high numbers of elephants is rife in some areas. In fact,^[1] concentration is so high throughout Chobe that culls have been considered, but are too controversial and have thus far been rejected.

At dry season, these elephants sojourn in Chobe River and the Linyanti River areas. At rain season, they make a 200-km migration to the Southeast stretch of the park. Their distribution zone however outreaches the park and spreads to northwestern Zimbabwe. The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Angola, and then flows south into Namibia. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ...

Tourist facilities

There are three main camping sites within the park, all of which are equipped with shower-toilets facilities and require booking in advance:

• The new and modern one at Ihaha was recently built in order to replace the closed one at Serondela. This camping site is also more remote in nature comparatively to the former one at Serondela.

• At Savuti there is another excellent new camping site, which lies at 172 km Southwest of Sedudu Gate. This camping ground overlooks the Savuti Channel (currently dry).

• A third, smaller camping ground can be found at Linyanti, lying at 39 km Northwest of Savuti. The camping ground here overlooks the Linyanti River so there are many chances of seeing and hearing hippos in the river. Off the beaten tracks, the Linyanti camp is much quieter than the previously described ones. There is an ablution block with toilets and showers, and a boiler to heat water.

Each camping ground is designed differently, which makes the visit of all of them interesting. 4-wheel vehicles are usually used for transfer between camps, as the road network here is recent and relatively primitive. The road is best near the Chobe River. However it exists no facility between Maun and Kasane. Therefore it is always safe for tourists to carry with them basic items such as food, water or tools. Linyanti is a constituency in the Caprivi Region of Namibia. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ... The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Angola, and then flows south into Namibia. ... For other uses, see Maun (band) Maun - although officially still a village - is the fifth largest town in Botswana. ... Kasane is a town located in the North-West District of Botswana. ...

Malaria

The park lies within a malaria-infected area. Therefore park visitors are recommended to minimize as far as possible mosquito bites by wearing light, long-sleeved garments as well as apply efficient insect repellent on exposed body parts. At camps, visitors must sleep inside mosquito-nets and windows or doors of the accommodation must be screened against mosquitoes. Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... Diversity 41 genera Genera See text. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (may be paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Caloneurodea - extinct Titanoptera - extinct Protorthoptera - extinct Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera...

References

1. ^ "Elephant culls in Chobe". 

External links

• WikiTravel page on Chobe National Park
• Official Botswana Government page on Chobe National Park
• Pictures from Savuti Reserve
• Pictures from Serondela Reserve
• Map of Chobe, location of nature reserves
• An article on the Chobe National Park in Botswana
• A Photo Gallery of the Chobe National Park in Botswana
• Map of Chobe National Park

Coordinates: 18°40′S, 24°30′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...