Kalahari Road Trip

Kalahari

The Kalahari Desert (in Afrikaans Kalahari-woestyn) is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in southern Africa extending 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa. A semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert, such as the Namib Desert to the west. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high.

Area

Derived from the Tswana word Kgala, meaning "the great thirst", or Kgalagadi, meaning "a waterless place", the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. Drainage is by dry valleys, seasonally inundated pans, and the large salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and Etosha Pan in Namibia. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called omuramba—traverse the Central Northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season.

Flora

Despite its aridity, the Kalahari supports a variety of flora. The native flora includes acacia trees and many other herbs and grasses. The Kiwano fruit, also known as the Horned melon, melano, African horned cucumber, jelly melon, or hedged gourd, is endemic to a region in the Kalahari Desert (specific region unknown).

Animals

Although there are few endemic species, a wide variety of animals are found in the Kalahari including large predators such as the Kalahari lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyena, brown hyena, and wild dog. Birds of prey include the secretary bird, martial eagle and other eagles, the giant eagle owl and other owls, falcons, goshawks, kestrels, and kites. As well as wildebeest, springbok and other antelopes, these predators will also hunt porcupines.

De Beers

In 1996 De Beers evaluated the potential of diamond mining at Gope. In 1997 the eviction of the San and Bakgalagadi tribes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve from their land began. In 2006 a Botswana High Court ruled in favor of the San and Bakgalagadi tribes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve claiming their eviction from the reserve was unlawful. The Government of Botswana granted a permit to De Beers' Gem Diamonds/Gope Exploration Company (Pty) Ltd. to conduct mining activities within the reserve.