Kalahari Desert

When nature gives birth to something majestic, it takes care of every little detail required for its survival! I am using this as a metaphor for the great Kalahari desert, which is such a creation of nature, where there is not only sand, but life and everything that is needed to support it. This unique basin shaped, semi-arid desert is known to be the 6th of the largest deserts in the world, and occupies an area of 900,000 square kilometers that extends mostly in South Africa, Botswana, and parts of Namibia. The Kalahari basin which surrounds the desert covers about 2,500,000 square kilometers, further in the three main regions and encroaches in parts of Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe. After finding out where is the Kalahari desert, let's find out more about life in this sub-tropical desert mentioned below.

Kalahari Desert Facts

Since the Kalahari desert is a semi-desert and is situated in a sub tropical region in South Africa, there are many other geographical and physical features found in it. There are two parts of this desert which are located in the southern part of Africa, one is desert and the other is a plateau region. Due to this, there are two different climates observed here, and both support life reasonably.

This is the reason, there is a wide variety of exotic plants and animals which use it as their home. The river Okavango, flows in the northwest region of the Kalahari basin and provides food and water to rich wildlife harbored by the desert. In the coming up paragraphs, we have put together some useful information about the climate, and life in one of the largest deserts of the world. Take a look.

Kalahari Desert Climate

• As mentioned above, the desert of Kalahari consists of two regions with different climatic conditions, and they are the plateau and the desert.
• The plateau is found to be about 1000 meters elevated in the southern part of Africa.
• The rest of the region is the desert, and is known to be the largest body of sand which is formed due to windblown sand, and the sand deposited by the river Okavango.
• Because of these two varied regions, there are many climate changes in the Kalahari desert. In summers, the temperature of the basin is about 40 degrees C and more, whereas the annual rainfall is above 100 mm.
• When there is precipitation, there are thunderstorms that are observed, due to which rains are more than usual. Green oasis and greenery is found as a result of this.
• The winters are from June to August, during which the climate of the desert is very pleasant with dry air, and the temperatures at this time is around 25 degrees C.
• However, similar to all desert climates, the nights are extremely cold and thus, the animals are often seen to be moving in herds towards water bodies.

Kalahari Desert Life

• The Kalahari desert is very popular for its rich wildlife and variety of exotic plants found in very few other deserts.
• Let's start with the desert vegetation found here, which is usually full of deciduous trees, tussocky grass and low scrub. One of the most common names found here is the camel thorn, which proves to be food and an important part on the desert ecosystem.
• Another one is the Shepard's tree, which is also a nutritious white barked tree, which has healthy roots, berries, leaves, etc. There are also many shrubs and bushes, like the Kalahari desert melon, ghaap or hoodia cactus, which are also very nutritious for both animals and humans.
• The Kalahari desert animals list include; antelope species like the gemsbok and the springbok, the Kalahari lion (black manes), wildebeest/gnu, cheetahs, brown and spotted hyenas, bat-eared foxes, silver-jackals and the typical Kalahari small meerkats.

With these great facts about the Kalahari desert, I hope you are satisfied with what you read! Well, the next time you have a general knowledge test, don't forget these great facts, and enjoy sharing it with others.