It i… The Namib dunes consist of colored quartz sand and shimmer in different colors, the more intense the shade of red the older the dune is. They attract a vast number of travellers each year, many of whom aim to climb up the sands and enjoy a thrilling slide back down. This is due to several factors. Deserts are formed on the leeward side of mountain ranges. The 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road filmed there. The Namib Desert is long (2,000 km) and narrow (50–150 km), bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Great Escarpment of southern Africa on the east (Henschel & Lancaster, 2013). The Namib Desert lies along the coastline of southwestern Africa, where the land meets the Atlantic Ocean. The lighter sand on the crest of the dune is continually reshaped by the … The Namib Desert extends for some 2000 km along the Atlantic coast of southern Africa from the Olifants River in South Africa (latitude 32°S) to the Carunjamba River in Angola (latitude 14°S). All rights reserved. 120–200 km wide, sandwiched between the Great Escarpment and the sea (see Goudie, 2002, Chapter 6 , for an introduction). The Namib Desert is a harsh biome to live in, but organisms have still adapted to life there and formed their own unique ecosystems. Under these conditions, it is rare for clouds and rain to form. Near the coast, the cold ocean water is rich in fishery resources and supports populations of brown fur seals and shorebirds, which serve as prey for the Skeleton Coast's lions. This event recurs approximately mid-decade (1974, 1986, 1994, 1995 and 2006 are recent examples). Some beetles extract moisture from trenches made in dunes. How was the Namib Desert formed? Become a Study.com member to unlock this Welwitschia is notable for its survival in the extremely arid conditions in the Namib, mostly deriving moisture from the coastal sea fogs. The reserve was founded in 1907 after the German Colonial Administration declared the region between the Swakop River and the Kuiseb River a game park. Remarkably, the sand itself originates thousands of kilometres away in the headwaters of southern Africa’s major rivers, … Although the desert is largely unpopulated and inaccessible, there are year-round settlements at Sesriem, close to the famous Sossusvlei area, and other small outposts in other locations. 120–200 km wide, sandwiched between the Great Escarpment and the sea (see Goudie, 2002, Chapter 6 , for an introduction). Most scientists agree that the Gobi Desert formed when the Himalayan mountain range and the Tibetan plateau took shape about 45 million ... the Namib is one of the driest deserts and is mostly uninhabited by humans. Characterised by red sand dunes that can reach impressive heights, the Namib is considered to be particularly old, even by geological standards. So why is it known for its foggy mornings, when fog is made up of water droplets in the air? [7] For this reason the Namib Sand Sea has been referred to as the "wind displaced delta of the Orange River."[7]. The landscapes that can be admired are truly breathtaking and represent the quintessence of the Namib Desert. Earth › Deserts › Coastal deserts › Quiz. In the Sossusvlei area, several dunes exceed 300 meters (980 feet) in height. Examples of fog deserts include the Atacama Desert of coastal Chile and Peru, the Baja California Desert of Mexico, the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert, and Biosphere 2, an artificial closed ecosphere in Arizona. km), the Namib is a coastal desert, situated along the south-western coast of the African continent. Most of the rest of the desert is set aside for conservation. Several rivers and streams run through the Namib, although all of the rivers south of the Cunene River and north of the Orange River are ephemeral and rarely or never reach the ocean. Covering 81,000 square kilometres, its vastness can only truly be appreciated from above. Anonymous948646 | 07/10 2020 00:54 through sand Possible answer. Namibia's varied geology encompasses rocks of Archaean to Phanerozoic age, thus covering more than 2600 million years of Earth history. Gravel plains of the Central Namib occur between the Kuiseb (south) and Ugab (north) ephemeral rivers. Some deserts form in the rain shadow. Services, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. The red parallel dunes with wind-shaped sand ridges were stabilised through vegetation and are so typical of the landscape in the Kalahari. It forms a narrow strip, ca. From here the wind carried the red sand inland to form the dunes over time. Desert. The characteristic red dunes of the Namib Desert have developed over many millions of years. [5] Most of the desert wildlife is arthropods and other small animals that live on little water, although larger animals inhabit the northern regions. The park was formed by merging several regions (Namib, Naukluft, Sossusvlei/Sesriem, and Sandwich Harbour). Deserts are formed on the leeward side of mountain ranges. The name Namib means "emptiness." The steppes in the southern half of the desert are mostly made up of ranches run by Europeans, who raise Karakul sheep with local help and send the wool of the lambs to Europe for use in fur coats. Namib-Naukluft National Park is the focal point of the Namib Desert for tourists. The red sand that forms the dunes was deposited into the Atlantic Ocean from the Orange River. The Namib Desert is southern Africa is a coastal desert. The taproot of the plant develops into a flat, concave disc in age. The erosion of soft stone formations created the sand masses. These cause humidity from the morning fogs to condense into droplets, which roll down the beetle's back to its mouth; they are collectively known as "fog beetles". Deserts cover a vast area of our continents and they usually form over regions with specific geographic characteristics. Most moisture falls as rain before it reaches the land, eg the Namib Desert in Africa. The dry climate of the Namib reflects the almost complete lack of bodies of water on the surface. The Namib Desert is southern Africa is a coastal desert. Is Antarctica north or south of the Equator? It may have different geological conformations – mainly due to the effect of the wind (wind erosion). The Namib desert is regarded as one of the oldest desert in the world. For instance, the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile washed by the cold Antarctic current of the Hudson and the Namib desert, washed by the Antarctic current of the Banguela. It causes sailors to lose their way; this is testified by the remnants of a number of shipwrecks that can be found along the Skeleton Coast, in northern Namib. A few Nama Khoikhoi still graze their livestock on the banks of the Kuiseb River in the desert. The Namib dunes are among the most stable representatives of their kind rising from the 100 meter high sand dunes in Tsondab said to have been created from 20-40 million years ago and then fossilized. (Image credit: Mike and Ann Scott of the Namib Rand Nature Reserve) Few researchers have studied fairy circles, in part because of their remoteness, 111 miles (180 km) form the nearest village. It was formed approximately sixty million years ago along with the rest of the African continent. It occupies an area of around 80,950 km2[6] (31,200 square miles), stretching from the Uniab River (north) to the town of Lüderitz (south) and from the Atlantic Ocean (west) to the Namib Escarpment (east). The history of a desert can be studied through palaeontology. Several types of trees are also able to survive the extremely arid climate.[5]. Interesting Facts About the Namib Desert The word ‘Namib’ is of Nama origin, and means ‘open space’. The country is famous for its mineral deposits of Tsumeb, as well as many geological sites of interest, from … The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibia border, … Thick sea fog blows in from the ocean and covers the dunes. The national park is the combination of the Namib Desert, thought to be the world’s oldest desert, and the Naukluft Mountains, which serve as a sanctuary for endemic Hartmann zebras. It is thought that an arid climate began to dominate in the region approximately 55 million years old, before changing to a semi-arid climate 14-18 million years ago. Southern Namib (between Lüderitz and the Kuiseb River) comprises a vast dune sea with some of the tallest and most spectacular dunes of the world, ranging in color from pink to vivid orange. The Namib Desert is home to a number of unusual species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. While most of the soil is rocky, sand dunes are still occasionally found in this region; for example, sand dunes occupy much of the coastline between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Moisture-laden westerlies from the warm Atlantic Ocean are cooled when they meet this current. When moisture-laden air hits the mountain range, it rises, cools and precipitates on the windward side. Set within the coastal desert of Namibia are the biggest sand dunes in the world. It has less than 10 mm (0.39 in) of rain annually and is almost completely barren. A number of endemic darkling beetles species — such as the Namib Desert beetle — have bumpy elytrons with a pattern of hydrophilic bumps and hydrophobic troughs. Namibia’s interior is a high plateau even today. Create your account. One of the most well-known endemic plants of the Namib is the bizarre Welwitschia mirabilis; a shrub-like plant, it grows two long strap-shaped leaves continuously throughout its lifetime. Namib Desert in Africa is a rare place on earth where desert meets the sea. About half of the country's surface area is bedrock exposure, while the remainder is covered by Cenozoic deposits of the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. Except for the days where the so-called east wind weather prevails and warm winds from the Namib Desert heat up the coast. It stretches for over 2,000 km along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa. The Namib Desert ecoregion extends along the coastal plain of western Namibia, from the Uniab River in the north to the town of Luderitz in the south. The Namib desert is regarded as one of the oldest desert in the world. Gemsboks (also known as oryxes) can raise the temperature of their bodies to 40 °C in the hottest hours of the day. The blowing winds constantly change the shape of the namib dunes. Standing atop one of the tallest dunes on Earth, it felt as though the sand beneath our feet stretched into infinity. Blowing inland northwest, winds caused a distribution of the sand and the formation of the dunes. Answer for question: Your name: Answers. A number of unusual species of plants and animals are found in this desert, many of which are endemic and highly adapted to the specific climate of the area. The desert is also home to meerkats and several species of lizards. An area where Welwitschias are a common sight is found in the surroundings of the Moon Valley, including the eponymous Welwitschia Plains. Winds coming from the Indian Ocean lose part of their humidity when passing the Drakensberg mountains, and are essentially dry when they reach the Namib Escarpment at the eastern end of the desert. [5] Fogs that originate offshore from the collision of the cold Benguela Current and warm air from the Hadley Cell create a fog belt that frequently envelops parts of the desert. It is approximately 2000km long and stretches from the Oliphant’s River in South Africa all the way through Namibia and up to the San Nicolau River in Angola, averaging around 200km wide. Annual precipitation here ranges from 0.079 in to 7.9 in. Besides rain being scarce, it is also hardly predictable. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. The seemingly endless recurring pattern of dunes in the Namib Desert formed and reformed by the east wind - Acquista questa foto stock ed esplora foto simili in Adobe Stock The southeastern coastline of Africa receives very little rainfall. A desert forms when there has been a shortage of rain for a long time. All along the coast, but mostly in the northernmost part of it, interaction between the water-laden air coming from the sea via southerly winds, some of the strongest of any coastal desert, and the dry air of the desert causes immense fogs and strong currents. They are the longest-lived leaves of any member of the plant kingdom. [1][3][4] Having endured arid or semi-arid conditions for roughly 55–80 million years, the Namib may be the oldest desert in the world[1][4] and contains some of the world's driest regions, with only western South America's Atacama Desert to challenge it for age and aridity benchmarks. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library. [1] Temperatures along the coast are stable and generally range between 9–20 °C (48–68 °F) annually, while temperatures further inland are variable—summer daytime temperatures can exceed 45 °C (113 °F) while nights can be freezing. Today, some Herero still herd their livestock in the Kaokoveld in the Namib and take them from waterhole to waterhole. The rims of the African fragment rose and the drop to sea level increased. Some of these wrecked ships can be found as much as 50 metres (55 yards) inland, as the desert slowly moves westwards into the sea, reclaiming land over a period of many years. Nevertheless, Namibia is not a country for the typical beach holiday as the water temperatures of the Atlantic rarely rise above 19° C and if they do then only during January – March. Photo about The seemingly endless recurring pattern of dunes in the Namib Desert formed and reformed by the east wind. The Kalahari Desert has the largest continuous stretch of sand on earth with sand dunes stretching westward to where it meets the Namib Desert. The Namib Desert may be the best-known desert in Namibia, but it is not the only one. The exact location of the installation has not been disclosed.[10][11]. The Namib desert is regarded as one of the oldest desert in the world. It stretches along the wouthwest coast of Africa from Angola in the north, through Namibia, into South Africa. [3] Owing to its antiquity, the Namib may be home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world. The Namib (/ˈnæmiːb/; Portuguese: Namibe) is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The geology of Namibia encompasses rocks of Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic to Cenozoic age. The red sand that forms the dunes was deposited into the Atlantic Ocean from the Orange River. The Namib Desert formed during the last glacial thawing period, thousands of years ago, when wind currents shifted and preventing the accumulation of... See full answer below. This ancient desert lies between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the escarpment of Namibia's interior plateau. The Namib Desert is the result of these dry conditions, although even in this area some large animals (most notably elephants) can survive at key waterholes. After crossing the mountain when it reaches the leeward side, it descends and begins to warm up. It rises … Before the 20th century, some San roamed the Namib, gathering edible plants on the shore, hunting in the interior, and drinking the juice of the tsamma melon for water. A vast portion of the desert, called the Sperrgebiet, was access-restricted due to the presence of diamonds, which are mined in the area at the mouth of the Orange River. These leaves may be several meters long, gnarled and twisted from the desert winds. When moisture-laden air hits the mountain range, it rises, cools and precipitates on the windward side. [1][8] These rivers arise in the interior mountains of Namibia and flow after summer rain storms.[1]. [1] Annual precipitation ranges from 2 millimetres (0.079 in) in the most arid regions to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) at the escarpment, making the Namib the only true desert in southern Africa. Benguela's El Niño (similar to the Pacific event in its environmental change in the seas) spreads from the Kunene estuary southward to, on occasion, south of Luderitz. [1][4] While this has proved a major hazard to ships—more than a thousand wrecks litter the Skeleton Coast—it is a vital source of moisture for desert life. It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot of the Great Escarpment. Much of this knowledge about the animals of the Namib Desert is made possible by a research institute in the desert that was established in 1963. All these species have developed techniques to survive in the Namib environment. Deserts thus become dry. The Namib Desert is believed to be one of the oldest deserts in the world, having existed for over 55 million years. It is a vast area of spectacular sand dunes, featuring two super-imposed systems – an ancient (semi-consolidated) one below, with an active one above. How many research stations are in Antarctica? This ancient desert lies between the icy Atlantic Ocean and the escarpment of Namibia's interior plateau. The name Namib is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". Temperatures may rise above 40°C in summer, sometimes even up to 50°C. Car rental in Namibia. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on May 7, 2007. Morning fogs coming from the ocean and pushing inwards into the desert are a regular phenomenon along the coast, and much of the life cycle of animals and plants in the Namib relies on these fogs as the main source of water. The Namib Desert is dry even for a desert! About 1,700 km (1,060 mi long and 100 km (60 mi) wide, the desert is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The seemingly endless recurring pattern of dunes in the Namib Desert formed and reformed by the east wind - Acquista questa foto stock ed esplora foto simili in Adobe Stock The Benguela current then carried this sand northwards, to be deposited back onto the land by the ocean’s surf. Namibia's yearly weather cycle . Location and Values: The Namib Sand Sea lies at the heart of the Namib, a coastal fog desert on Africa’s South Atlantic coast in Namibia. The southern portion merges with the Kalahari on the plateau atop the escarpment. Covering an area of 31,274 sq. The Namib is regarded as the world's oldest desert as it has experienced arid to semi-arid conditions for around 55 to 80 million years. mi (81,000 sq. Whereas the Namib Desert runs along the country’s so-called Skeleton Coast and is distinguished by its looming dunes in a variety of hues from maroon to apricot, the Kalahari Desert (the setting of the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy") is an inland expanse shared with South Africa and Botswana. The Namib Desert, one of the most inhospitable places in the world, lies in the southwest corner of Africa. Along the arid SouthAtlantic Ocean shoreline, the Namib Desert str… Rainfall records also show positive values variously across the Namib, Desert Research Station, Gobabeb for instance. answer! Annual precipitation here ranges from 0.079 in to 7.9 in. Eastern Namibia is also dry, though slightly less so. It is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) long from north to south and its east-west width varies from 30 to 100 miles (48 to 161 kilometres). Flowing north from the waters of the Antarctic is the powerful but cold Benguela Current. So the shallow meander belt cut into the sediments and underlying basement rock and the Fish River’s winding system of gorges developed. Here, Lottie Gross flies along the Atlantic coast and over the dunes for a new perspective on this incredible environment. The Namib Desert. The Namib Desert averages less than 0.5in (12mm) of rain each year. To the south, the Namib borders on the South African Karoo semi-desert. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa. Winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, are pressed down by hot air from the east; their humidity thus forms clouds and fog. This part of the country holds part of the expansive Kalahari Desert, home to some visually striking dunes.. 1. The Namib has an approximate area of 170,000 sq km (65,640 sq mi). - Definition, Examples & Types, Ecosystems Lesson for Kids: Definition & Facts, What Is Ecological Succession? The national park is the combination of the Namib Desert, thought to be the world’s oldest desert, and the Naukluft Mountains, which serve as a sanctuary for endemic Hartmann zebras. In the desert areas, the Namib and the Kalahari, only little rainfall can be expected, with the Kalahari receiveng higher rainfalls than the Namib. Namib and Kalahari Desert. [1][2][3] The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the Angola-Namibia border, is known as Moçâmedes Desert, while its southern portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari Desert. [5] Further inland, the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game park in Africa, supports populations of African bush elephants, mountain zebras, and other large mammals. Here are ten lesser-known facts. It was formed naturally due to the little precipitation. Moving north from Sossusvlei, the sand gradually gives way to a rocky desert that extends all the way from Sossusvlei to the Swakop river. The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa.