In the south of the Namib Desert, you can see some of the tallest and most spectacular hills in the world, with different colors from pink to bright orange! The hills extend to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and one of the most surreal sights you can see is where ocean waves meet the Namib Desert.
The coast of the Namib Sea stretches for hundreds of miles. One of the best places to visit this beach is in Swakopmund. This region is the largest coastal city of Namibia and a favorite destination of the people of this country, especially during the holidays. Since the city was once a German colony, the impact of German spaces can be easily felt in the buildings and the type of architecture.
The Namib Desert is well protected by a range of national parks such as the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which covers an area of 49,768 square kilometers and covers the entire central desert area. In 2012, part of its coastal desert, the Namib sand sea, was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Located in southern Africa, the desert takes its name from the name Nama, which means “vast”. The desert has an area of 80,950 km and reaches the Yusab River from the north and the town of Lodritz from the south. Namib, with a length of 2,000 km, passes through Angola, Namibia and South Africa. The impressive height of the sand dunes of the Namib Desert indicates the long history of this desert. Geographers believe that the Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world.
Surrounded by the inner plateau and the Atlantic Ocean, the desert is home to a number of animal and plant species that have adapted to the conditions. For example, mountain zebras, blind mice, or short-eared elephants are some of these species. Animals such as rhinos, lions and impalas are found in abundance in the Namib Desert. Namib is the only coastal desert in the world where native plants and animals have evolved among its dry sand dunes. In addition, a plant species called Welwitschia mirabilis lives here, which has only 2 leaves and can live up to a thousand years. The plant is 6 feet high and 24 feet wide. Another type of exotic plant grows in this area called “quiver tree”. During severe drought, the tree cuts off its branches to retain moisture in its leaves. One of the most popular animals in this desert is the Brazilian parrot.
This parrot was discovered in 1793 and at that time was known as a subspecies of “Brazilian red-faced parrot”, but later, in 1818, it was introduced as a new species by the French orientalist “Louis John Pierre Villou”. It has two subspecies with the scientific names of Arcatumbella and Arroseicollis. It originates in southwestern Africa. Its size is 15 cm. It is an energetic and active bird.
Although this area is considered a protected area, it still faces many threats, such as the illegal planting of plants.
This desert receives less than 1 cm of rain annually, so it can be said that it is a dry desert. Rainfall is rare in the coastal and central parts of the desert, but as we climb the Great Scarp Ment cliffs, the amount of rainfall increases. Although Namib is almost a place without rain, the weather is not dry and, surprisingly, there is a lot of fog. Winds that blow in the desert carry moisture from the sea to the shore, allowing animals and plants to adapt to the least possible water conditions. The nights in this desert are very cold and the days are really hot, and sometimes the temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius. It seems that the arid climate prevailed in this region from 55 million years ago and then became a semi-arid climate about 14 to 18 million years ago. The Namib Desert is completely uninhabited.
One of the largest and most valuable assets that can be found in the Namib Desert is its diamonds. Because diamonds have a nature that is easily recognizable and accessible, and there are many profiteers, an area of this desert where diamonds are hidden has become an enclosed area and is completely out of the public eye.
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