Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert is a featureless, gradually undulating, sand-covered plain that rises to 3,000 feet (900 metres) above sea level on all sides. Bedrock is only visible in the low, vertical-walled hills known as kopjes, which rise above the surrounding surface seldom but prominently. Apart from the kopjes, the Kalahari is characterised by three surfaces: sand sheets, longitudinal dunes, and vleis (pans).

Location

The Kalahari Desert is a huge basin-like plain on Southern Africa’s central plateau. It encompasses nearly all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and the northernmost part of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It merges with Namib, Namibia’s coastal desert, in the southwest. The Kalahari’s longest north-south extent is approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), and its greatest east-west distance is approximately 600 miles; its area is estimated to be approximately 360,000 square miles (930,000 square kilometres).

Climate and Weather

• A region was  classified as a desert if it received less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of rain each year. A desert is defined as a place where the potential evaporation rate is twice as big as the precipitation rate
• Precipitation is greatest in the northeast (with a mean annual precipitation of more than 20 inches) and decreases in the southwest due to moisture-bearing air originating from the Indian Ocean (less than 5 inches on the southern fringe of the Kalahari). Precipitation, on the other hand, is quite changeable. Summer thunderstorms bring the most rain, which varies greatly from location to place and year to year. The winters are exceptionally dry, with minimal humidity and no rain for six or eight months
• On summer days, shade temperatures can reach 110-115° F(43-46°C), but on summer evenings, they can dip to 70-80°F(21-27°C) on winter nights, temperatures can drop to below freezing and as low as 10°F(12°C)

Flora and Fauna

Plants

• The presence of a thick layer of sand over the majority of the land has a significant impact on the vegetation that develops there. Annuals that develop quickly after a good rain may be able to disperse seeds that will last until the next excellent rainy season, but shallow-rooted plants cannot survive on a perennial basis. Trees with deep roots that can reach permanently damp sand levels thrive
• With its little rainfall, the south-western Kalahari Desert contains few trees or huge bushes, instead relying on xerophytic (drought-tolerant) plants and short grasses
• With greater moisture, the middle Kalahari includes scattered trees (including numerous Acacia species) as well as shrubs and grasses. The northern Kalahari does not resemble a desert in the least. It features open woodlands, palm trees growing among thorn bush, and forests of both evergreen and deciduous trees that reach 50 feet in height and produce some species good for timber; the baobab is one of the largest and most peculiar of these trees. Reeds, papyrus, pond lilies, and other water-loving plants flourish in the Okavango Swamp

Animals

The Kalahari Desert’s animal life is also richer and more diverse in the north than in the south. Despite the lack of surface water, many individuals of numerous species stay for lengthy periods of time in the desert south. Springbok, gnu (wildebeest), and hartebeest—all of which are occasionally seen in large herds—gemsbok (oryx), eland, and several smaller non gregarious species such as kudu (in regions with deep bush), steenbok, and duiker—are the most common species found in the south.

Predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, wild hunting dogs, and foxes; other large and medium-sized mammals such as jackals, hyenas, warthogs, baboons, badgers, anteaters, ant bears, hare, and porcupines; and numerous small rodents, several types of snakes and lizards, and a wealth of birdlife inhabit the northern Kalahari Desert.

Interesting facts about Sahara Desert:

1. Summer temperatures can soar to 40°C(104°F)or higher, while winter temperatures can plummet to below 0°C(32°F).

2. Because of the quantity of rainfall it receives each year, the Kalahari is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word. The Kalahari Desert receives more rain than other deserts, averaging between 12 and 25 centimetres each year.

3. It cuts through three nations, including Namibia’s eastern section, a substantial portion of Botswana, and South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.

4. The Kalahari’s sand and soil hold more water than typical desert areas, resulting in a rich and diversified plant life.

5. The Okavango River flows through the country, beginning in Angola and flowing into Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana’s Okavango Delta is Africa’s fourth-longest river.

Conclusion

The Kalahari Desert is a huge dry to semi-arid sandy terrain in southern Africa that encompasses much of Botswana as well as sections of Namibia and South Africa. Despite being semi-desert, it contains vast swaths of excellent grazing following good rains and is densely forested. For probably thirty thousand years, this has been the Bushmen’s homeland.

The desert’s core area is over 100,000 square miles (260,000 square kilometers). The neighbouring Kalahari Basin, on the other hand, spans over 2.5 million square kilometres, stretching into Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, as well as sections of Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Okavango, Botswana’s only permanent river, generates wetlands that attract a diverse range of animals.