Kalahari Desert - geography.

Kalahari Desert - geography. I INTRODUCTION Kalahari Desert, arid region on the interior plateau of southern Africa, occupying central and southwestern Botswana and parts of west central South Africa and eastern Namibia. The desert covers an area of about 260,000 sq km (100,000 sq mi). The Kalahari is part of a large sand basin stretching into Angola and Zambia in the north, through Botswana into Zimbabwe in the east, south to the Orange River in South Africa, and west to the highlands of Namibia. This basin has a total surface area of about 930,000 sq km (360,000 sq mi). The name Kalahari is derived from the Tswana word Kgalagadi, meaning "the great thirst." II LAND AND RESOURCES The Kalahari is mostly flat, with an average elevation of about 1,000 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. The sands of the Kalahari are red, brown, or white in places. Parallel lines of dunes--typically lying along a north-to-south or northwest-to-southeast orientation, depending on the prevailing winds--cover substantial areas of the Kalahari, and are concentrated in the west. The dunes vary in height from about 6 m (20...