History of Africa

What are the Namib and Kalahari?

Namib:

- Definition: The Namib is a coastal desert in southwestern Africa.

- Location: Namibia and Angola.

- Size: 1,300 km long, 160 km wide.

- Climate: Hot and dry with little rainfall (50mm/year).

- Features: Sand dunes, gravel plains, and salt pans.

- Wildlife: Adapted to the desert environment (insects, reptiles, some mammals, birds).

Kalahari:

- Definition: The Kalahari is a large semi-arid sandveld region (savanna with sandy soil) in southern Africa.

- Location: Botswana, parts of Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

- Size: 1.1 million km².

- Climate: Hot and dry, more rainfall than Namib (avg 500mm/year).

- Features: Savanna grasslands, forests, salt pans.

- Wildlife: More diverse (mammals like lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras).