Who is the okavangu?

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1. Where does the name Okavango come from?
2. What is unique about the Okavango?
3. Why is the Okavango in Botswana important?
4. Is Okavango the largest swamp in Africa?
5. What happened to the lake that the Okavango River once fed into?
6. Where is Okavango located?
7. Where is the Kalahari Desert?
8. Is Botswana safe?
9. What is unusual about River cubango?
10. Where does water in Botswana come from?
11. Why is the Okavango Delta not salty?
12. Where does Okavango get its water?

Where does the name Okavango come from?

The river—formerly sometimes called the Okovango—takes its name from the Okavango (Kavango) people of northern Namibia. David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, and the first European known to have seen the Okavango, reached its swampy delta in 1849.

What is unique about the Okavango?

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is one of the world's largest inland deltas. While most river deltas usually lead to an ocean, the Okavango River empties onto open land, flooding the savanna and creating a unique and ever-changing inland delta. ... The delta swells almost three times in size between March and August.

Why is the Okavango in Botswana important?

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a site of global importance for biological conservation and diversity. It forms one of the world's largest Wetlands of International Importance, as designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Delta depends on the water inflow from Namibia and Angola.

Is Okavango the largest swamp in Africa?

In the middle of the dry Kalahari desert, the Okavango Delta provides a welcome oasis for all wildlife. ... Even though it is commonly believed to be the largest inland delta in the world, it is not – there are two larger ones in Africa, the Sudd Swamp in South Sudan, and the Inner Niger Delta in Mali.

What happened to the lake that the Okavango River once fed into?

By about 10,000 years ago the drying of Lake Makgadikgadi was in an advanced stage. Sediment and debris from the Okavango River and windblown sand were gradually filling the lake. The Gumare fault formed and lowered the land.

Where is Okavango located?

The Okavango Delta is a large low gradient alluvial fan or 'Inland Delta' located in north-western Botswana. The area includes permanent swamps which cover approximately 600,000 ha along with up to 1.2m ha of seasonally flooded grassland.

Where is the Kalahari Desert?

Kalahari Desert, large basinlike plain of the interior plateau of Southern Africa. It occupies almost all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and the northernmost part of Northern Cape province in South Africa.

Is Botswana safe?

Botswana is one of the safest countries in Africa and travelers might only encounter petty crime. Most tourism in Botswana is centered around Gaborone, Francistown and the tourist capital, Maun. The good news is Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta, doesn't experience high levels of crime.

What is unusual about River cubango?

The rocks and falls provided great scenery for dramatic photographs, but made travel much more difficult that usual for a team standing up in traditional mokoro canoes. The Cubango also runs through areas that are more developed. Therefore the river is more greatly affected by increasing human impacts.

Where does water in Botswana come from?

Botswana's water sources consist primarily of surface water (in rivers, pans and dams of various sizes) and underground water in aquifers some of which are of a fossil nature with no recharge.

Why is the Okavango Delta not salty?

All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired and does not flow into any sea or ocean.

Where does Okavango get its water?

The water supply comes from the Cubango and Cuito rivers in Angola. This reaches the delta between March and June and peaks in July. There's also local rainfall in the Okavango area from November to February (about 450mm a year) which adds to this.