Namib

Introduction
Physical features
- Physiography
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant life
- Animal life
People and economy
Study and exploration

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Physical map of southern Africa showing elevation with color shading, major rivers including the Orange River, national boundaries, cities, mountain ranges, deserts such as the Kalahari, and features like salt flats, swamps, and waterfalls. Surrounding countries include Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. An inset locator map highlights the region within the African continent.

Orange and tan sand dune ridge with footprints curving toward sparse desert shrubs and distant dunes under a clear blue sky.

Physical map of Namibia highlighting major geographic features such as the Namib Desert along the Atlantic coast, the Kalahari Desert to the east, Etosha National Park, and mountain ranges like the Kaokoveld and Khomas Highlands. Neighboring countries Angola, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa are shown, and a small locator map in the corner indicates Namibia's position in southern Africa.

How brown hyenas survive in the Namib Desert

How meerkats survive venomous scorpion stings

Struggles of jackals and meerkats in Namibia

At a Glance

Namib summary

Quizzes

Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)

Africa’s Physical Features

Church of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis), Lalibela, Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geography of Africa Quiz

Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius) in the Sahara Desert sand dunes. (pack animal; sand; Morocco; Africa; African desert; mammal; dromedary; drought)

Quick Quiz: Deserts

Related Questions

How did firearms introduced by traders and settlers affect conflicts among Namibian peoples?
How did the San people survive near the Namib Desert before the 20th century?
How did the Tsauchab River help form Sossusvlei?
How do Walvis Bay and Swakopmund use water from the Namib Desert?
How do barchan dunes differ from other dunes in the Namib Desert?
How do coastal plants in the Namib Desert obtain moisture from fog?
How do star dunes form near Sossusvlei?
How do the Kuiseb River’s underground waters supply Walvis Bay and Swakopmund?
How does the Benguela Current affect the climate of the Namib Desert?
How far inland does the Namib Desert reach from the Atlantic Ocean?
How high are some of the sand dunes near Sossusvlei?
How high can dunes in the Namib Desert grow?
How high does the Namib Desert platform rise near the Great Escarpment?
How is the Namib Desert divided into coastal, Outer, and Inner regions?
How long is the Namib Desert along the Atlantic coast?
How much rain does the Namib coast receive each year?
What direction do the long dune lines in the southern Namib Desert run?
What does the name Namib mean in the Nama language?
What evidence at Twyfelfontein reveals the lives of early San hunter-gatherers?
What features distinguish the coastal region of the Namib Desert from the Inner Namib?
What happens at Sossusvlei during rare years of heavy rainfall?
What industries developed in the Namib coastal cities of Walvis Bay, Lüderitz, and Oranjemund?
What is the Great Escarpment’s relationship to the Namib Desert?
What kinds of soils occur in the Namib Desert?
What landscape features are found in the Kaokoveld region of the northern Namib Desert?
What types of rock form the platform beneath much of the Namib Desert?
When did Diogo Cão and Bartolomeu Dias reach the Namibian coast?
Where are diamonds mined along the Namib Desert coast?
Where does Welwitschia mirabilis grow?
Where is Sossusvlei located in Namibia?
Where is the Namib Desert located in Africa?
Which distinctive plant has two enormous leaves that spread across the ground in the Namib Desert?
Which large animals are found along rivers in the northern Namib Desert?
Which rivers flow permanently through or beside the Namib Desert?
Which seabirds and marine animals live along the Namib Desert coast?
Which vegetation regions are found across the Namib Desert?
Why are arable soils in the Namib Desert mostly limited to floodplains and river terraces?
Why are the dunes around Sossusvlei orange-red?
Why can Inner Namib steppes become grassy during wet years?
Why did UNESCO designate the Namib Sand Sea as a World Heritage site in 2013?
Why do many streams in the Namib Desert fail to reach the Atlantic Ocean?
Why do the Swakop and Kuiseb rivers usually disappear in the Namib Desert?
Why does the Tsauchab River end at Sossusvlei instead of reaching the Atlantic Ocean?
Why is agriculture difficult in most of the Namib Desert?
Why is entry restricted in parts of Skeleton Coast National Park?
Why is fog an important water source in the Namib Sand Sea?
Why is the Namib Desert considered a cool coastal desert?
Why was the Sperrgebiet area of southern Namibia closed to most visitors?
Where is South Africa located?
What is South Africa mainly known for?
Is it South Africa or Republic of South Africa?
How many times has South Africa played in the World Cup?
When did South Africa become a republic?
Who were the Boers?
What is apartheid and how did it affect South Africa?
What languages are spoken in South Africa?
Where is the Cape of Good Hope located?
Who was the first European to sight the Cape of Good Hope?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Land Deserts

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External Websites

World Heritage - Namib, Africa

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Namib Desert - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Namib Desert - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Namib

desert, Africa

Also known as: Namibe

Written by

Richard F. Logan

Professor of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles. Author of The Central Namib Desert.

Richard F. Logan

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Namib, a cool coastal desert extending for 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in Angola southward across Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot of the Great Escarpment. The southern portion merges with the Kalahari on the plateau atop the escarpment. Its name is derived from the...

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