!!!Namib Desert

by Oleg Gaponyuk, Dmity Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

1 September 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Namibia is a country situated in the southern Africa. Its neighbour, the
Republic of South Africa, has already been shown in our panoramas, but
Namibia is not the less interesting and full of landmarks as well.

[{Image src='01_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='395'}]

The main part of the country is occupied by highlands, its highest point
(the Brandberg mountain or sometimes referred as Königstein) is 2606
meters high. The Central Plateau is situated between the Namib Desert,
which looks towards the Atlantic Ocean and the Kalahari Desert; in the
South it is bounded by the Orange River and the North of the country is
covered with jungles.

[{Image src='02_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='502'}]

The Namib-Naukluft National Park encompasses the bigger part of the
Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountain range. The total area of the park
is around 50,000 sq kilometers, making it the fourth largest park in the
world.

[{Image src='03_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='531'}]

The most famous place of the Namib-Naukluft is a clay pan of Sossusvlei.
This place is a home to the largest sand dunes in the world - up to 325
meters high. Their colour can vary from apricot and orange to deep red
and maroon, creating a dazzling contrast to the salt hollows lying at
their bottom. Strong winds blowing from different directions create
fantastic forms of the dunes. At the period of a short wet season, which
usually occurs in February, the plateau fills with waters of the
Tsauchab River.

[{Image src='04_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='449'}]

Sossusvlei is the place where the famous Deadvlei is situated. Many
centuries ago it was the area of abundant rains which allowed to create
an oasis with trees and a water pool. But when the climate changed, the
pool filled up with sand, then the sun not just dried the trees, but
practically burnt them. And now Deadvlei is the valley of dead tree
skeletons against the background of blue sky and bright colourful dunes.

[{Image src='05_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='655'}]

The Namib Desert has one more interesting locality bearing a rather
‘sinister' name - the Skeleton Coast. It is one of the most ancient
layers of the surface that can be found on the Earth: it consists of a
massif of solid rock estimated to be one and a half milliard years old.
And there was a reason for this name to be given to this place: fog,
huge boulders, storms and the cold Benguela Current that forms near the
Cape of Good Hope create hazards for shipping. Lots of shipwreck
remnants can still be found here.

[{Image src='06_Namib_Desert.jpg' caption='Namib Desert' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='304'}]

Natural and cultural heritage of Namibia cannot help being admired and
pleasant to look at. You can see it with your own eyes - just take a
virtual trip with the help of our panoramas.

\\ \\
[18 Panoramas of Namib Desert|Geography/Africa/Namibia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Namib_Desert]










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