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Where does Welwitschia mirabilis grow?
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Namib
Sand dunes and vegetation at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert, Namibia.
Welwitschia mirabilis is a unique gymnosperm found exclusively in the Namib Desert of southwestern Africa.12
Its distribution is geographically restricted to the coastal regions of Angola and Namibia, extending inland from the Atlantic coast for approximately 150 km (more than 90 miles). The plant is particularly associated with the northernmost extension of the Namib, known as the Moçâmedes Desert, where it thrives in an extremely arid environment characterized by gravel plains and rock platforms. Due to its rarity and historical over-collection, the species is now protected by law.134