Succulent Karoo Desert

In the Succulent Karoo rainfalls do not occur in summer (October to March) but, in contrast to most of the country, in winter (May to September). Winter rains (20 to 100 mm per year) are soft and widespread; fog moves in from the coast at times. Summers are very hot, while during winter frost is not unusual and precipitation may come as snow. Typical game species are oryx antelope, springbok, ostrich, jackal and hyena. The Wild Horses west of Aus are not indigenous but only settled there in 1915.

The Succulent Karoo is named after the plants which account for most of the vegetation: shrubs which store water and are therefore called succulents. With more than 1.700 leafy succulents and 130 stem succulents the Succulent Karoo is regarded as the most diverse desert in the world.

From an economic point of view it might as well be the desert with the greatest riches, too: in 1908 diamonds were found near Kolmanskuppe close to the coast. Soon afterwards a strip of land, 100 km wide, was proclaimed a Restricted Diamond Area (Sperrgebiet) which has remained practically untouched by man ever since. This wilderness area was proclaimed the Sperrgebiet National Park in December 2008.

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