Namib Desert
At 20 million years old the Namib is seen as the oldest desert on earth. It covers the entire coastline in a strip about 100 km wide, from Angola down to South Africa. Due to many individual features, however, scientists regard the section south of Lüderitz as a separate desert - the Succulent Karoo. The central Namib consists of enormous mountains of sand; at the Sossusvlei clay pan you can climb the highest dunes on earth.
Rain is a rare occurrence in the Namib (5 to 85 mm per annum), but coastal fogs supply some moisture quite regularly. Summers can be very hot and winters very chilly. The dry rivers with their subterranean watercourses form oasis lines.
Plant life is dominated by annual grasses and herbs; shrubs and trees are usually found along dry rivers only. Typical animals are oryx antelope, springbok and ostrich.