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Which rivers flow permanently through or beside the Namib Desert?
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Namib
Sand dunes and vegetation at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert, Namibia.
The Namib Desert is characterized by an arid climate and a poorly developed, fragmentary drainage pattern. Because the region is almost entirely rainless, most streams that descend from the interior plateau terminate in salt pans or mud flats within the desert sands.1
Only two rivers flow permanently on the surface through or beside the Namib Desert:
- Cunene River: Located in the north, this river maintains a permanent surface flow to the sea.1
- Orange River: This river bisects the southern portion of the Namib and flows permanently to the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay.12
Other rivers, such as the Kuiseb River and the Swakop River, typically die out in the desert sands. While these rivers may have subsurface water flow that is tapped for human use, they only reach the sea during rare flood years.13