Okavango Delta: The River That Ends in a Desert
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a near-pristine inland delta whose waters drain into the Kalahari sands instead of the sea (UNESCO).
Image: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons (aerial view of the Okavango Delta, 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0).
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A river that never reaches the sea turns the Kalahari into a wildlife paradise.
The Okavango's yearly flood arrives in the dry season, and the protected delta covers 2,023,590 hectares (UNESCO).
Explain Like I'm 10
- The Okavango River flows into Botswana but never reaches the ocean.
- Every year its water spreads out across the desert, right in the dry season.
- Elephants, lions and birds gather to drink and feed in the new wetland.
The Five W's of the Okavango Delta
Who
A natural system, protected by Botswana as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What
Permanent swamps and up to 1.2 million hectares of seasonally flooded grassland.
When
The flood arrives every year in Botswana's dry winter season.
Where
North-western Botswana, fed by water from Angola and Namibia.
Why
Its timing lets plants and animals survive the peak of the dry season.
Connected Solutions
- Gorongosa National Park Restoration Wildlife back in record numbers in Mozambique.
Impact Statement
Natural solution · UNESCO World Heritage
A flood in the dry season, in the middle of a desert. It sustains 482 bird species, 130 mammal species and Botswana's elephants, about 130,000 strong (UNESCO).
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Okavango Delta
For Further Information: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Okavango Delta
The Okavango is the continent's largest delta with no outlet to the sea (UNESCO).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
People have lived in the delta for centuries, and tourism uses small, low-impact camps (UNESCO).
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Okavango Delta
For Nature
It shelters cheetah, white and black rhino, wild dog and lion (UNESCO).
Learn More About the Okavango Delta
Want to go deeper? UNESCO describes the World Heritage Site.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
More solutions like this one, matched by meaning.
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