10 Interesting the Kalahari Desert Facts

Saturday, May 17th 2014. | Places


The Kalahari Desert facts present the information about one of the interesting landform in Africa. Even though the Kalahari Desert is very hot and arid, people love to come here to enjoy the natural and wild view. You can enjoy a good safari in Africa by visiting the Kalahari Desert. Here are the facts about Kalahari Desert:

Kalahari Desert Facts 1: desert

People have different opinion about the landscape of Kalahari Desert. Some people think that it is purely a desert.  They think that this is a large semi arid sandy savannah. You can find vegetation here because it receives 150 ml or 9.8 inches of rain every year. Read Africa facts here.

Kalahari Desert Facts 2: formation

Do you know when the Kalahari Desert was formed? The experts believe that it was formed 60 million years ago in Africa.

Kalahari Desert Fact

Kalahari Desert Fac

Kalahari Desert Facts 3: size of the desert

Even though Kalahari is not the largest desert in the world, it is big enough to make you trapped. The desert spans on 900,000 square kilometers or 350,000 square miles of area. You can find Kalahari Desert in some parts of the countries in Africa such as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Kalahari Desert Facts 4: name

Let’s talk about the origin of the name Kalahari. It was derived from the word Kgala. It is a Tswana word which means the great thirst. Some people also state that it is derived from the words Khalagari, Kgalagadi and Kalagare. The meaning is a waterless place.

Kalahari Desert Facts

Kalahari Desert Facts

Kalahari Desert Facts 5: animal support

Even though the word Kalahari means the waterless place, it actually has vegetation which can support the life of the animals.

Kalahari Desert Facts 6: conservation area

If you visit the Kalahari Desert, you can go to the conservation area.  You can go to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Khutse Game Reserve.

Kalahari Desert Image

Kalahari Desert Image

Kalahari Desert Facts 7: temperature

Living in Kalahari makes you look like a fried chicken.  The temperature of the desert can reach 104 degree F or 40 degree C. During the winter season, the temperature reaches 0 degree C.

Kalahari Desert Facts 8: Okavango River

You can find a river in Kalahari Desert. It is called Okavango River. When the rainy season begins in October to April, there are some temporary rivers formed inside the desert. All of them will flow to Limpopo River.

Kalahari Desert in Africa

Kalahari Desert in Africa

Kalahari Desert Facts 9: tribes

Even though Kalahari Desert is an arid area, it is the home to some tribes in Africa. Some of them are the Khios, San, Khomani, Kung, Griqua and Nama people

Kalahari Desert Facts 10: The San Bushmen

The San Bushmen are estimated to have lived in the desert for more than 20,000 years. They still perform traditional ways of life. They hunt and gather food from the surrounding.

Kalahari Desert

Kalahari Desert

Another tribe who still performs the role of gatherers and hunters is the Kung people. Are you interested with facts about Kalahari Desert?


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