Difference between revisions of "Kalahari Desert" - New World Encyclopedia
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For seven years, Mark and Delia Owens lived in tents, and studied a pristine wilderness and its inhabitants. They did landmark research on black-maned Kalahari lions and the elusive brown hyena. They survived violent storms, wildfires and 120-degree heat while conducting their research. They chronicled their findings in their book ''Cry of the Kalahari''. | For seven years, Mark and Delia Owens lived in tents, and studied a pristine wilderness and its inhabitants. They did landmark research on black-maned Kalahari lions and the elusive brown hyena. They survived violent storms, wildfires and 120-degree heat while conducting their research. They chronicled their findings in their book ''Cry of the Kalahari''. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Natural resources== |
| + | ===minerals=== | ||
There are large [[coal]], [[copper]], [[nickel]], and [[uranium]] deposits in the region. One of the largest [[diamond]] mines in the world is located at Orapa in the Makgadikgadi, North-Eastern Kalahari. Pomfret, on the edge of the desert, has [[asbestos]] in the subsoil and a shuttered asbestos mine.<ref>{{cite web | There are large [[coal]], [[copper]], [[nickel]], and [[uranium]] deposits in the region. One of the largest [[diamond]] mines in the world is located at Orapa in the Makgadikgadi, North-Eastern Kalahari. Pomfret, on the edge of the desert, has [[asbestos]] in the subsoil and a shuttered asbestos mine.<ref>{{cite web | ||
|url=http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2005/s1496370.htm | |url=http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2005/s1496370.htm | ||
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===Diamond mining=== | ===Diamond mining=== | ||
The overseas campaign group Survival International say the real reason for the re-settlement of Bushmen by the Botswana government is to free up the land for [[diamond]] mining, especially in the area of Orapa, the diamond capital of the country. But the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, ''Ditshwanelo'', disputes this, claiming that the government is being altruistic but misguided. | The overseas campaign group Survival International say the real reason for the re-settlement of Bushmen by the Botswana government is to free up the land for [[diamond]] mining, especially in the area of Orapa, the diamond capital of the country. But the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, ''Ditshwanelo'', disputes this, claiming that the government is being altruistic but misguided. | ||
| + | ===Plants=== | ||
| + | As one might expect from a unique landscape such as the Kalahari desert, it contains many unique plants. Add to this the aeons old experience and knowledge of the San or Bushman and you have a wealth of botanical medicines that can and have been exploited, both historically and at present. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The great value of Devil’s claw or Harpagophytum, as a natural medicine was learned by the Germans (from the Bushmen) during the last century. This has resulted in a multi-million dollar international industry, which has incidentally led to the local extinction of the plant in many areas. Sad to say, the San or Bushman did not see a dime of all this money. The latest wonder medicine to come from the Kalhari, is “Hoodia”, the miracle “Bushman solution to appetite control”. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) discovered the valuable properties of this plant in the 1970’s and extracted and tested a miracle ingredient which was later dubbed “P75”. Besides being an almost ideal appetite supressor, P75 had several other valuable medical properties. | ||
| + | |||
<!--1911 content, to be merged in: | <!--1911 content, to be merged in: | ||
ghdzlkhjkdhjjkzdhl;ldfhalnfhfgnjsdnff.ngfrica, lying mainly between 20 and 28 S. and 19 and 24 E., and covering fully 120,000 sq. m. The greater part of this territory forms the western portion of the (British) Bechuanaland protectorate, but it extends south into that part of Bechuanaland annexed to the Cape and west into German South-West Africa. The Orange river marks its southern limit; westward it reaches to the foot of the Nama and Damara hills, eastward to the cultivable parts of Bechuanaland, northward and north-westward to the valley of the Okavango and the bed of Lake Ngami. The Kalahari, part of the immense inner table-land of South Africa, has an average elevation of over 3000 ft. with a general slope from east to west and a dip northward to Ngami. Described by Robert Moff as the southern Sahara, the Kalahari resembles the great desert of North Africa in being generally arid and in being scored by the beds of dried-up rivers. It presents however many points of difference from the Sahara. The surface soil is mainly red sand, but in places limestone overlies shale and conglomerates. The ground is undulating and its appearance is comparable with that of the ocean at times of heavy swell. The crests of the waves are represented by sand dunes, rising from 30 to ioo ft.; the troughs between the dunes vary greatly in breadth. On the eastern border long tongues of sand project into the veld, while the veld in places penetrates far into the desert. There are also, and especially along the river beds, extensive mud fiats. After heavy rain these become pans or lakes, and water is then also found in mud-bottomed pools along the beds of the rivers. The water in the pans is often brackish, and in some cases thickly encrusted with salt. Pans also occur in crater-like depressions where rock rises above the desert sands. A tough, sun-bleached grass, growing knee-high in tufts at intervals of about 15 in., covers the dunes and gives the general color of the landscape. Considerable parts of the Kalahari, chiefly in the west and north, are however covered, with dense scrub and there are occasional patches of forest. Next to the lack of water the chief characteristics of the desert are the tuberous and herbaceous plants and the large numbers of big game found in it. Of the plants the most remarkable is the water-melon, of which both the bitter and sweet variety are found, and which supplies both man and beast with water. The game includes the lion, leopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, buffalo, zebra, quagga, many kinds of antelope (among them the kudu and gnu), baboon and ostrich. The elephant, giraffe and eland are also found. The hunting of these three last-named animals is prohibited, and for all game there is a close time from the beginning of September to the end of February. | ghdzlkhjkdhjjkzdhl;ldfhalnfhfgnjsdnff.ngfrica, lying mainly between 20 and 28 S. and 19 and 24 E., and covering fully 120,000 sq. m. The greater part of this territory forms the western portion of the (British) Bechuanaland protectorate, but it extends south into that part of Bechuanaland annexed to the Cape and west into German South-West Africa. The Orange river marks its southern limit; westward it reaches to the foot of the Nama and Damara hills, eastward to the cultivable parts of Bechuanaland, northward and north-westward to the valley of the Okavango and the bed of Lake Ngami. The Kalahari, part of the immense inner table-land of South Africa, has an average elevation of over 3000 ft. with a general slope from east to west and a dip northward to Ngami. Described by Robert Moff as the southern Sahara, the Kalahari resembles the great desert of North Africa in being generally arid and in being scored by the beds of dried-up rivers. It presents however many points of difference from the Sahara. The surface soil is mainly red sand, but in places limestone overlies shale and conglomerates. The ground is undulating and its appearance is comparable with that of the ocean at times of heavy swell. The crests of the waves are represented by sand dunes, rising from 30 to ioo ft.; the troughs between the dunes vary greatly in breadth. On the eastern border long tongues of sand project into the veld, while the veld in places penetrates far into the desert. There are also, and especially along the river beds, extensive mud fiats. After heavy rain these become pans or lakes, and water is then also found in mud-bottomed pools along the beds of the rivers. The water in the pans is often brackish, and in some cases thickly encrusted with salt. Pans also occur in crater-like depressions where rock rises above the desert sands. A tough, sun-bleached grass, growing knee-high in tufts at intervals of about 15 in., covers the dunes and gives the general color of the landscape. Considerable parts of the Kalahari, chiefly in the west and north, are however covered, with dense scrub and there are occasional patches of forest. Next to the lack of water the chief characteristics of the desert are the tuberous and herbaceous plants and the large numbers of big game found in it. Of the plants the most remarkable is the water-melon, of which both the bitter and sweet variety are found, and which supplies both man and beast with water. The game includes the lion, leopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, buffalo, zebra, quagga, many kinds of antelope (among them the kudu and gnu), baboon and ostrich. The elephant, giraffe and eland are also found. The hunting of these three last-named animals is prohibited, and for all game there is a close time from the beginning of September to the end of February. | ||
Revision as of 00:59, 26 March 2007
The Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Africa extending 1 E11 m²|900,000 km², covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, as semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains.[1] The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 2.5 million km² extending farther into Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 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. Previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopard or cheetah can still be found.
Climate
Derived from the Tswana word Keir, meaning the great thirst, or the tribal word Khalagari or Kalagare (meaning "a waterless place"[1]), the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red-brown sands 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. However, the Kalahari is not a true desert. Parts of the Kalahari receive over 250 mm of erratic rainfall annually and are quite well vegetated; it is only truly arid in the south-west (under 175 mm of rain annually) making the Kalahari a fossil desert. Summer temperatures in the Kalahari range from 20 to 40 °C. In winter, the Kalahari has a dry, cold climate with frosts at night. The low winter temperature can average below 0 °C. In addition, this desert was the setting for the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Game reserves
The Kalahari has a number of game reserves - the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), the world's second largest protected area); Khutse Game Reserve; and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Animals that live in the region include brown hyenas, lions, meerkats, several species of antelope (including the oryx or gemsbok), and many species of birds and reptiles. Vegetation in the Kalahari consists mainly of grasses and acacias but there are over 400 identified plant species present (including the wild watermelon or tsamma melon).
Ancestral land
The area is the ancestral land of the Bushmen (San) peoples. There are many distinct tribes, and they have no collective name for themselves. The names San and Basarwa are sometimes used, but the people themselves dislike these names (San is a Khoikhoi word meaning outsider, and Basarwa a Herero word meaning person who has nothing) and prefer the name "Bushman". Their language, Khoisan, is a language of clicks. The name bushmen was given to them by early settlers who may have named them for the fact they live in the bush or it might have been given because of their use of aromatic spices collected from various bushes. They are thought to have been the first human inhabitants of Southern Africa; there is evidence that they have been living there continuously as nomadic hunter-gatherers for at least 22,000 years. The Bushmen of the Kalahari desert were first brought to the Western world's attention in the 1950s when author Laurens van der Post published his most famous work The Lost World of the Kalahari, which was also turned in to a BBC TV series. This and other later works about the Kalahari prompted the creation of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in 1961 to preserve the Bushmen and their homeland.
For seven years, Mark and Delia Owens lived in tents, and studied a pristine wilderness and its inhabitants. They did landmark research on black-maned Kalahari lions and the elusive brown hyena. They survived violent storms, wildfires and 120-degree heat while conducting their research. They chronicled their findings in their book Cry of the Kalahari.
Natural resources
minerals
There are large coal, copper, nickel, and uranium deposits in the region. One of the largest diamond mines in the world is located at Orapa in the Makgadikgadi, North-Eastern Kalahari. Pomfret, on the edge of the desert, has asbestos in the subsoil and a shuttered asbestos mine.[2]
Diamond mining
The overseas campaign group Survival International say the real reason for the re-settlement of Bushmen by the Botswana government is to free up the land for diamond mining, especially in the area of Orapa, the diamond capital of the country. But the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, Ditshwanelo, disputes this, claiming that the government is being altruistic but misguided.
Plants
As one might expect from a unique landscape such as the Kalahari desert, it contains many unique plants. Add to this the aeons old experience and knowledge of the San or Bushman and you have a wealth of botanical medicines that can and have been exploited, both historically and at present.
The great value of Devil’s claw or Harpagophytum, as a natural medicine was learned by the Germans (from the Bushmen) during the last century. This has resulted in a multi-million dollar international industry, which has incidentally led to the local extinction of the plant in many areas. Sad to say, the San or Bushman did not see a dime of all this money. The latest wonder medicine to come from the Kalhari, is “Hoodia”, the miracle “Bushman solution to appetite control”. The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) discovered the valuable properties of this plant in the 1970’s and extracted and tested a miracle ingredient which was later dubbed “P75”. Besides being an almost ideal appetite supressor, P75 had several other valuable medical properties.
See also
- De Beers
- Morokweng crater
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mary Sadler-Altena, "Kalahari: Introduction" webpage: Template:Dlw: Kalahari name/climate/reserves and history.
- ↑ South Africa - Pomfret. abc.net. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
External links
- Flying to the Kalahari
- "Cry of the Kalahari"
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve Pictures, Botswana
- Dream an electronic dream of the Kalahari
- Tourism and Produce of the Kalahari Region
- Destination information about the Kalahari Desert.
| Deserts |
|---|
| Ad-Dahna | Alvord | Arabian | Aral Karakum | Atacama | Baja California | Barsuki | Betpak-Dala | Chalbi | Chihuahuan | Dasht-e Kavir | Dasht-e Lut | Dasht-e Margoh | Dasht-e Naomid | Gibson | Gobi | Great Basin | Great Sandy Desert | Great Victoria Desert | Kalahari | Karakum | Kyzylkum | Little Sandy Desert | Mojave | Namib | Nefud | Negev | Nubian | Ordos | Owyhee | Qaidam | Registan | Rub' al Khali | Ryn-Peski | Sahara | Saryesik-Atyrau | Sechura | Simpson | Sonoran | Strzelecki | Syrian | Taklamakan | Tanami | Thar | Tihamah | Ustyurt |
af:Kalahari bn:কালাহারি মরুভূমি ca:Kalahari da:Kalahari-ørkenen de:Kalahari es:Kalahari eo:Kalaharo fr:Désert du Kalahari is:Kalaharíeyðimörkin it:Kalahari he:קלהארי lt:Kalaharis nl:Kalahari ja:カラハリ砂漠 no:Kalahari pl:Kalahari pt:Kalahari ro:Deşertul Kalahari ru:Калахари sl:Kalahari sr:Калахари fi:Kalahari sv:Kalahariöknen vi:Kalahari tr:Kalahari Çölü zh:喀拉哈里沙漠
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