The Kalahari Desert (shown in maroon) & Kalahari Basin (orange)

Kalahari in Namibia

The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Kgalagadi Africa extending 900,000 km² (362,500 sq. mi.), covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It has huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography is a portion of desert and a plateau. The Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not true desert. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. It usually receives 3-7 1/2 inches of rain per year.^[1] The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 2.5 million km² extending further into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called omuramba—traverse the Central Northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season. Previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopard or cheetah can still be found. This article is about an animated film. ... Image File history File links LocationKalahari. ... Image File history File links LocationKalahari. ... Categories: Stub | Botswana ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The Kalahari Basin (shown in orange) The Kalahari Basin (or Kalahari Depression) is a large lowland area covering over 2. ... The Okavango River is a river in southwest Africa. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... Omuramba (pl. ...

Climate

Derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning the great thirst, or the tribal word Khalagari, Kgalagadi or Kalagare (meaning "a waterless place"^[1]), the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. Drainage is by dry valleys, seasonally inundated pans, and the large salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and Etosha Pan in Namibia. However, the Kalahari is not a true desert. Parts of the Kalahari receive over 250 mm of erratic rainfall annually and are quite well vegetated; it is only truly arid in the southwest (under 175 mm of rain annually) making the Kalahari a fossil desert. Summer temperatures in the Kalahari range from 20 to 45 °C. (68 to 113°F.) Tswana (Setswana), is a Bantu language. ... A salt pan is a geological formation found in deserts. ... Makgadikgadi Pan The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in Northern Botswana, the largest salt flat complex in the world. ... The Etosha pan is a large salt pan in the north of Namibia. ...

Game reserves

A meerkat in the Kalahari

The endangered African Wild Dog in CKGR

The Kalahari has a number of game reserves—the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR, the world's second largest protected area), Khutse Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Animals that live in the region include brown hyenas, lions, meerkats, giraffe, warthogs, jackals and several species of antelope (including the eland, gemsbok, springbok, hartebeest, steenbok, kudu, and duiker), and many species of bird and reptiles. Vegetation in the Kalahari consists mainly of grasses and acacias but there are over 400 identified plant species present (including the wild watermelon or Tsamma melon). Camel rides across the desert are also offered [1]. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1776) Meerkat range The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1680x1415, 376 KB) Summary Wild Dog, seen on safari in Botswana, in Kalahari National Park. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1680x1415, 376 KB) Summary Wild Dog, seen on safari in Botswana, in Kalahari National Park. ... Binomial name (Temminck, 1820) African Wild Dog range The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, also known as the African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, or Painted Wolf, is a carnivorous mammal of the Canidae family. ... Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a National Park in Botswana. ... Khutse Game Reserve is a National Park in Botswana. ... iugbh ... This article is about the species of animal. ... For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1776) Meerkat range The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species. ... Binomial name (Pallas, 1766) This article is about the animal. ... Species Canis aureus Canis adustus Canis mesomelas A jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sá¹›gālaḥ [1][2]) is any of three (sometimes four) small to medium-sized members of the family Canidae, found in Africa, Asia and Southeastern Europe. ... This article is about the herbivorous mammals. ... Eland might refer to: Common Eland or Taurotragus oryx a savannah and plain antelope found in East and Southern Africa. ... Binomial name Oryx gazella (Linnaeus, 1758) The gemsbok or gemsbuck (Oryx gazella) is a large African oryx antelope. ... Springbok can have the following meanings: Springbok Antelope, a small antelope inhabiting central and western Africa. ... Binomial name Alcelaphus buselaphus Pallas, 1766 The Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. ... Binomial name Raphicerus campestris Thunberg, 1811 The Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. ... 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. ... Genera Cephalophus Sylvicapra A duiker is any of about 19 small to medium-sized antelope species native to sub-Saharan Africa. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. ... For other uses, see Acacia (disambiguation). ... For the political designation, see Eco-socialism. ...

Mining

There are large sand, coal, copper, nickel and uranium deposits in the region. One of the largest diamond mines in the world is located at Orapa in the Makgadikgadi, North-Eastern Kalahari. Pomfret, on the edge of the desert, has asbestos in the subsoil and a shuttered asbestos mine.^[2] For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... Coal Example chemical structure of coal Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nickel (disambiguation). ... This article is about the chemical element. ... There are a limited number of commercially viable diamond mines currently operating in the world. ... Orapa is a town located in east-central Botswana. ... Pomfret is a desert town, the site of an old asbestos mine, on the edge of the Kalahari desert in northwest South Africa. ... For other uses, see Asbestos (disambiguation). ...

The huge amount of semi-arid sand available in the Kalahari Desert is used to satisfy increasing demands of industry and construction. The Kalahari Desert sand is dried and transported via the Trans-Kalahari Highway to industrial areas and is used in, for example, manufacturing as an abrasive - to make concrete. Sand mining plays an increasing factor in Botswana's economy and is a direct and obvious cause of erosion. It also impacts the local wildlife, including meerkats, antelopes and the endangered African Wild Dog. For other uses, see Construction (disambiguation). ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: wikipedia is not a howto guide. ... This article is about the construction material. ... Sand mining is a practice that is becoming an ecological problem as the demand for sand increases in industry and construction. ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1776) Meerkat range The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. ... This article is about the herbivorous mammals. ... Binomial name (Temminck, 1820) African Wild Dog range The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, also known as the African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, or Painted Wolf, is a carnivorous mammal of the Canidae family. ...

Population

The San people or Bushmen have lived in the Kalahari for 20,000 years as hunter-gatherers. That means they survive by hunting wild game with bows and arrows and gathering edible plants like berries, melons and nuts as well as insects. Bushmen rarely drink water; they get most of water requirements from plant roots and desert melons found on or under the desert floor: they often store water in the blown-out shells of ostrich eggs. The San have their own characteristic language that includes clicking sounds. These Bushmen live in huts built from local materials - the frame is made of branches and the roof is thatched with long grass.The Bantu-speaking Tswana, Kgalagadi, and Herero, and a small number of European settlers also live in the Kalahari. The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ...

Settlements within the Kalahari

Bostwana

• Ghanzi
• Tshane
• Tshabong
• Orapa

Namibia Ghanzi (sometimes Ghantsi) is a district in western Botswana, bordering Namibia in the west and extending east into much of the interior of the country. ... Orapa is a town located in east-central Botswana. ...

• Gobabis
• Mariental

South Africa Gobabis, Namibia Gobabis, Namibia, is a town situated 200 km (124 miles) down the B6 motorway from Windhoek to Botswana. ... There are communes and places that have the name Mariental: Places in Germany Mariental, in the Helmstedt district, Mariental, a part of Helmstedt in Namibia Mariental Rivers A river of the Rhône basin. ...

• Rietfontein
• Noenieput
• Severn

The Severn is the name of a river in the United Kingdom. ...

The Kalahari desert in popular culture

• A Far Off Place, film, starring Reese Witherspoon & Ethan Randall, based on the books "A Story Like the Wind" and "A Far Off Place" by Laurens Van Der Post
• The Gods Must Be Crazy, film
• Meerkat Manor, television series documenting the Kalahari Meerkat Project
• Survivorman, survival television series.
• Top Gear, British television series, featuring an episode following a desert challenge in which Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May attempt to drive three old cars across Botswana, including the Kalahari Desert.
• The Power of the Sword, Novel by Wilbur Smith

A Far Off Place is a Disney film from 1993, starring Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Embry and Jack Thompson. ... Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon[1] (born March 22, 1976) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Ethan Embry (born Ethan Philan Randall; June 13, 1978) is an American actor. ... Sir Laurens Jan van der Post by Frances Baruch Sir Laurens Jan van der Post (aka Laurens van der Post) December 13, 1906 – December 16, 1996. ... The Gods Must Be Crazy is a film released in 1980, written and directed by Jamie Uys. ... Meerkat Manor is a British television show made by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International. ... The Kalahari Meerkat Project, or KMP, is a long term research project on meerkats, to study cooperative behavior among meerkats. ... This article is about the television program. ... Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ... Wilbur Addison Smith (born January 9, 1933 in Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)) is an author of fiction. ...

See also

• De Beers
• Morokweng crater
• List of deserts by area
• Meerkat Manor

De Beers engages in exploration for diamonds, diamond mining and diamond trading. ... Morokweng is a meteor crater in South Africa. ... This is a list of deserts in the world ordered by area. ... Meerkat Manor is a British television show made by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Mary Sadler-Altena, "Kalahari: Introduction" webpage: SouthernCape-Kalahari^{[dead link – history]}: Kalahari name/climate/reserves and history.
2. ^ South Africa - Pomfret. abc.net. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• "Cry of the Kalahari"
• Central Kalahari Game Reserve Pictures, Botswana
• Dream an electronic dream of the Kalahari
• Plants of the Kalahari
• Kalahari desert's 'forgotten' influence on carbon levels

Coordinates: 23°00′S, 23°00′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...