Namib

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Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name Namib is the origin of the Name and means "wide place". By the broadest definition, Namib stretches over 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) along the Atlantic coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, stretching south from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in the Cape West, South Africa. The northernmost part of Namib, which stretches 450 kilometers (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibian border, is known as MoÃÆ'§ÃÆ'  ¢ desert medes, while the southern part approaches the nearby Kalahari Desert. From the Atlantic coast to the east, Namib slowly rises to a height, reaching up to 200 kilometers (120 miles) inland to the foot of the Great Escarpment. Annual rainfall ranges from 2 millimeters (0.079 inches) in the driest region to 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) on a steep slope, making Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. After experiencing dry or semi-arid conditions for about 55-80 million years, Namib may be the world's oldest desert and contains some of the driest regions in the world, with only the Atacama Desert in western South America to challenge it for age and setbacks.

Desert geology consists of a sea of ​​sand near the shore, while gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops appear further inland. The sand dunes, which are 300 meters (980 feet) long and 32 km long (20 miles) long, are the second largest in the world after the desert of Badain Jaran Desert in China. Temperatures along the coast are stable and generally range from 9-20 ° C (48-68 ° F) every year, while temperatures further into the mainland vary - daytime temperatures in summer may exceed 45 ° C (113 ° C F) while the night can freeze. The fog from the offshore from the cold collision of Benguela Flow and the warm air from Hadley Cell created a mist belt that often blanketed some of the desert. Coastal areas can experience more than 180 days of thick fog each year. While this has proved to be a major hazard for ships - more than a thousand of wrecks on the Skeleton Coast - this is an important source of moisture for desert life.

The Namib is almost completely uninhabited by humans except for some small settlements and indigenous pastoral groups, including Ovahimba and Herri Obatjimba in the north, and Topnaar Names in the central region. Because of its beauty, Namib may be home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world. Most desert wildlife are arthropods and other small animals that live in small waters, although larger animals inhabit the northern regions. Near the beach, cold seawater is rich in fishery resources and supports the seabird population of brown fur and beach birds, which serves as Skeleton Coast lion prey. Further inland, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Africa's largest game park, supports the African Elephant Elephant population, Mount Zebra, and other large mammals. Although the outer part of Namib is largely barren of vegetation, mosses and succulents are found in coastal areas, while grass, shrubs and crops thrive near steep cliffs. Some tree species can also survive in a very dry climate.

Video Namib

Geography and geology

The Namib Desert is one of 500 different physiographic provinces of the South African Platform Physiography division. It occupies an area of ​​approximately 80,950Ã, kmÃ,² (31,200 square miles), extending from the River Usiab (north) to the town LÃÆ'¼deritz (south) and from the Atlantic Ocean (west) to Namib Escarpment (east). Its length is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south and its east-west width varies from 30 to 100 miles (48 to 161 kilometers). To the north, the desert leads to Kaokoveld; the dividing line between these two areas is roughly at the latitude of Walvis Bay, and it consists in the narrow strip of land (about 50 km wide) which is the driest place in South Africa. To the south, Namib is bordered by the South African Karoo desert.

Southern Namib (between LÃÆ'¼deritz and the Kuiseb River) consists of large sand dunes with some of the highest and most spectacular dunes in the world, ranging from pink to bright orange. In the Sossusvlei area, some dunes exceed 300 meters (980 feet). The complexity and regularity of the mound pattern on its sand dunes has attracted the attention of geologists for decades, but is still poorly understood.

Move north from Sossusvlei, the sand gradually gives way to the rocky desert that extends from Sossusvlei to the Swakop river. The area is traversed by the Tropic of Capricorn and is mostly flat, although some gorgeous gorges and altitudes are found in several areas, for example in the Moon Valley system. While most of the land is rocky, sand dunes are sometimes still found in this region; for example, the sand dunes occupy most of the coastline between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

The Namib desert is an important location for tungsten, salt and diamond mining.

Several rivers and streams flow through Namib, although all the rivers south of the Cunene River and north of the Orange River are temporary and rarely or never reach the oceans. These rivers appear in the inner mountains of Namibia and flow after a summer rain storm.

Maps Namib

Climate

Namib's doubts were caused by the descent of dry air from Hadley Cell, cooled by the cold Benguela stream along the coast. It has less than 10 mm (0.39 inches) of rain every year and is almost completely barren. In addition to the rare rains, it is also difficult to predict. The western Namibia gets less rain (5 mm) than the east of Namib (85 mm). This is due to several factors. The wind that comes from the Indian Ocean loses some of their moisture as it passes through the Drakensberg mountains, and is essentially dry when they reach the cliff slopes in the eastern part of the desert. The wind coming from the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, is suppressed by the hot air from the east; Their humidity forms clouds and fog. The morning fog coming from the ocean and pushing into the desert is a common phenomenon along the coast, and many cycles of animal and plant life in Namib depend on this mist as the main source of water.

Namib's dry climate reflects the almost absence of water bodies on the surface. Most rivers run underground and/or dried for most of the year, and even when they do not, they usually flow into the endorheic basin, without reaching the sea. Swakop and Omaruru are the only rivers that sometimes flow into the oceans.

Along the coast, but mostly in the northernmost part of it, the interaction between the aquatic air coming from the sea through the south wind, some of the strongest of the coastal deserts, and the dry air of the desert caused a very large and powerful fog. current. It causes the sailor to lose its way; this is witnessed by the remains of a number of shipwrecks that can be found along the Skeleton Coast, north of Namib. Some of these damaged ships can be found as much as 50 meters (55 yards) inland, as the desert slowly moves westward toward the sea, reclaiming the land for several years. El NiÃÆ'  ± o Benguela (similar to Pacific events in its marine environment change) spread from the estuary of Kunene to the south, sometimes, to the south of Luderitz. Warm waters with depth and associated water flow from the northwest were first fully catalyzed by Marine Fisheries researchers, Cape Town (L V Shannon et al.). This study noted the positive effect of El Nià ± o Benguela on interior rainfall. Note rainfall also shows positive values ​​in various places in Namib, Desert Research Station, Gobabeb for example. This show was repeated around mid-decade (1974, 1986, 1994, 1995 and 2006 is the latest example)

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Animals and plants

A number of unusual plant and animal species are found in this desert, many of which are endemic and highly adaptable to the region's specific climate. One of Namibia's most famous endemic plants is the magical plant Welwitschia mirabilis ; plant like a bush, grow two long rope-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. These leaves may be several meters long, wrinkled and twisted from desert winds. The roots of plant roots develop into flat, sunken discs in age. Welwitschia is famous for surviving in very dry conditions in Namib, mostly from the coastal sea fog. The area where Welwitschias is a common sight found around the Valley of the Moon, including the eponymous Welwitschia Plain.

The Namib fauna consists mostly of arthropods and other small animals that can live with little water, but several large animal species are also found, including antelopes (such as oryxes and springboks), ostriches, and in some areas even desert elephants. All of these species have developed techniques for survival in the Namib environment. A number of species of endemic black beetles - such as the Desert Namib beetle - have wavy elytrons with hydrophilic bump patterns and hydrophobic troughs. This causes moisture from the morning mist to condense into droplets, which rolls the beetle's back into its mouth; they are collectively known as the "fog beetle". Another beetle, Lepidochora discoidalis , builds a "water-catching" net. Black-backed jackals lick moisture from rocks. Gemsboks (also known as Oryxes) can raise their body temperature up to 40Ã, ° C in the hottest hours of the day. This desert is also home to meerkats and some species of lizards.

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Human activity

Before the 20th century, some San explored Namib, collecting edible plants on the beach, hunting in the interior, and drinking juice from melon for water. Currently, some Herero still graze their cattle at Kaokoveld in Namib and take them from the expanse to the water hole. Some Khoikhoi Names still graze their cattle on the banks of the Kuiseb River in the desert. Most of the original inhabitants have left, however, leaving most of the desert uninhabited.

The stepa in the southern part of the desert consists mainly of farms managed by Europeans, who keep the Karakul sheep with local help and send sheep wool to Europe for use in fur coats. Most of the rest of the desert is set aside for conservation. Most of the deserts, called Sperrgebiet, are limited access because of the diamonds, which are mined in the area at the mouth of the Orange River. Although deserts are largely uninhabited and inaccessible, there are year-round settlements in Sesriem, close to the famous Sossusvlei area, and other small outposts in other locations. Namibe in Angola, and LÃÆ'¼deritz, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in Namibia, bordering the desert, are the main settlements in the area.

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Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namib-Naukluft National Park, which stretches across much of the Namib Desert, is Africa's largest nature reserve and one of the largest in the world. While most of the parks are virtually inaccessible, some of the famous visitor attractions are found in the desert. A prominent attraction is the famous Sossusvlei region, where high orange dunes surround a bright white salt skillet, creating stunning views.

Access to the park is by gravel or dust roads (except the 60 km concrete road from Sesriem gate to Sossusvlei) or by light aircraft from Windhoek (the capital of Namibia, about 480 km (300 mi) northeast of the desert center), or Swakopmund and Walvis Bay at the northern end of the desert.

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Famous places

• Bogenfels
• The Moon Valley
• Sesriem
• Skeleton Coast
• Solitaire
• Sossusvlei
  • Dune 45
  • Deadvlei
  • Hiddenvlei
• Spitzkoppe
• Plain Welwitschia
• Swakopmund

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Gallery

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See also

• The descend list by area
• Animals are Beautiful People , a nature documentary set in Namib

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References

• National Geographic , January 1992, p. 54-85.
• Mary Seely: The Namib: Natural History of the Ancient Desert , 3rd ed., Windhoek: Namibia Desert Research Foundation 2004, ISBN 9 99916-68-16-0.

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Further reading

• Tonchi, Victor L.; William A. Lindeke; John J. Grotpeter (2012). Namibia History Dictionary (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. ISBN: 978-0-8108-7990-4. Ã,
• Hamilton III, William J. (September 1983). "The Living Sands of the Namib". National Geographic . Vol.Ã, 164 no.Ã, 3. pp.Ã, 364-376. ISSNÃ, 0027-9358. OCLCÃ, 643483454.

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External links

• "Dune Pattern, Namib Desert, Namibia". NASA Earth Observatory . Retrieved May 5 2006 .
• Photo gallery of Naukluft Namib Park
• Namib Desert desert photo gallery

Source of the article : Wikipedia