Okavango Delta

De Okavango Delta anaa Okavango Grassland be a vast inland delta for Botswana insyd wey dem form wey de Okavango River dey reach a tectonic trough at an elevation of 930–1,000 m (3,050–3,280 ft) for de central part of de endorheic basin of de Kalahari Desert insyd. E be a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of de few interior delta systems dat no dey flow into a sea anaa ocean, plus a wetland system dat be largely intact. Instead, de floodwater dey spread ova sandy floodplains den islands, den a large share dey seep downward into de shallow alluvial aquifer beneath, before plants take am up. Nearly all de water wey dey reach de delta dey ultimately evaporate den transpire. Each year, about 11 km3 (2.6 cu mi) of water dey spread ova de 6,000–15,000 km2 (2,300–5,800 sq mi) area. Sam flood waters dey drain into Lake Ngami. De area be once part of Lake Makgadikgadi, an ancient lake dat de early Holocene already mostly dry up. De Moremi Game Reserve dey for de eastern side of de delta top. Dem name de delta one of de Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, wey dem officially declare am for 11 February 2013 top for Arusha, Tanzania insyd. For 22 June 2014 top, de Okavango Delta becam de 1000th site wey dem inscribe officially for de UNESCO World Heritage List top. Name Dem derive de name Okavango from de Okavango River, wey for turn insyd dem derive from Kavango, wey dey refer to de Kavango pippoe of northern Namibia. Older English spellings include Okovango, while sam Namibian scholarship dey prefers Kavango wen dem dey refer to de Namibian river den region. Historian Andreas Eckl dey note say German colonial reports use Okavango, but dat de initial O- no dey common for local Kavango languages insyd, den instead dem already attribute am to Herero influence. Geography Floods Seasonal flooding produce Okavango. De Okavango River dey drain de summer (January–February) rainfall from de Angola highlands den de surge dey flow 1,200 km (750 mi) for around one month insyd. De waters then dey spread ova de 37,500 km2 (14,500 sq mi) area of de delta ova de next four months (March–June). De high temperature of de delta dey cause rapid transpiration den evaporation, wey dey result for three cycles of rising den falling water levels insyd dat dem no fully understand until de early 20th century. De flood dey peak between June den August, during Botswana ein dry winter months, wen de delta dey swell to three times ein permanent size, wey e attract animals from kilometres around den dey create one of Africa ein greatest concentrations of wildlife. De delta dey very flat, plus less dan 2 m (7 ft) variation for height insyd across ein 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi), while de water dey drop about 60 m (200 ft) from Mohembo to Maun. Water flow Lagoons Wen de water levels dey gradually recede, water dey remain for major canals den river beds insyd, for waterholes insyd den for a number of larger lagoons insyd, wey then attract increasing numbers of animals. Photo-safari camps den dem find lodges near sam of dem lagoons. Among de larger lagoons be: Dombo Hippo Pool (19°11′58″S 23°38′25″E) Gcodikwe Lagoon (19°10′03″S 23°14′24″E) Guma Lagoon (18°57′52″S 22°22′41″E) Jerejere Lagoon/Hippo Pool (19°05′17″S 23°01′12″E) Moanachira Lagoon/Sausage Island (19°03′23″S 23°03′44″E) Moanachira Lagoon (19°03′45″S 23°05′24″E) Shinde Lagoon (19°06′18″S 23°09′18″E) Xakanaxa Lagoon (19°10′48″S 23°23′42″E) Xhamu Lagoon (19°10′03″S 23°16′12″E) Xhobega Lagoon (19°10′39″S 23°12′36″E) Xugana Lagoon (19°04′12″S 23°06′00″E) Zibadiania Lagoon (18°34′12″S 23°32′06″E) Salt islands De agglomeration of salt around plant roots dey lead to barren white patches for de centre of many of de thousands of islands insyd, wey e already becam too salty to support plants, aside from de occasional salt-resistant palm tree. Trees den grasses dey grow for de sand insyd around de edges of de islands wey no already becam too salty yet. About 70% of de islands begin as termite mounds (often Macrotermes spp.), wey a tree dey then take root for de mound of soil top. Chief ein Island Chief ein Island (19°12′S 22°48′E), de largest island for de delta insyd, a fault line form am wey uplift an area ova 70 km long (43 mi) den 15 km wide (9.3 mi). Historically, dem reserve am as an exclusive hunting area give de chief, but rydee be area dem protect give wildlife. Rydee e dey provide de core area give much of de resident wildlife wen de waters dey rise. Climate De Delta ein profuse greenery no be de result of a wet climate; rada, e be an oasis for an arid country insyd. De average annual rainfall be 450 mm (18 in) (approximately one-third dat of ein Angolan catchment area) den most of am dey fall between December den March for de form of heavy afternoon thunderstorms insyd. December to February be hot wet months plus daytime temperatures wey dey as high as 40 °C (104 °F), warm nights, den humidity levels wey dey fluctuate between 50 den 80%. From March to May, de temperature dey reduce, plus a maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) during de day den mild to cool nights. De rains dey quickly dry up wey e lead into de dry, cool winter months of June to August. Daytime temperatures at dis time of year be mild to warm, but de temperature dey fall considerably after sunset. Nights fi dey cold for de delta insyd, plus temperatures barely above freezing. Dem see frost sometimes ova de winter. De September to November span get de heat den atmospheric pressure dey build up once more, as de dry season dey slides into de rainy season. October be de most challenging month give visitors: daytime temperatures dey often surpass 40 °C (104 °F) den a sudden cloudburst break de dryness only occasionally. Fauna of de delta De Okavango Delta be both a permanent den seasonal home to a wide variety of wildlife. All of de big five game animals, de lion, leopard, African buffalo, African bush elephant, black den white rhinoceros dey present. De most abundant large mammal be de red lechwe, plus estimates wey dey suggest approximately 88,000 individuals. Oda species dey include de giraffe, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, hippopotamus, impala, common eland, greater kudu, sable antelope, roan antelope, puku, waterbuck, sitatunga, tsessebe, cheetah, African wild dog, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, caracal, serval, aardvark, aardwolf, bat-eared fox, African savanna hare, honey badger, common warthog, chacma baboon, vervet monkey den Nile crocodile. De delta dey sanso host ova 400 bird species, wey dey include de helmeted guineafowl, African fish eagle, Pel's fishing owl, Egyptian goose, South African shelduck, African jacana, African skimmer, marabou stork, crested crane, African spoonbill, African darter, southern ground hornbill, wattled crane, lilac-breasted roller, secretary bird den common ostrich. Since 2005, dem calready consider de area dem protect a Lion Conservation Unit togeda plus Hwange National Park. By 2019, about 150 rhinocerosses dey live for de northern Okavango Delta insyd. From 2020 to 2021, poachers kill 92 rhinos for de delta region insyd wey e lef only 40 individuals, wey e prompt de government to move dem rhinos out of de Okavango Delta. Fish De Okavango Delta be home to 71 fish species, wey dey include de tigerfish, species of tilapia, den various species of catfish. Fish sizes dey range from de 1.4 m (4.6 ft) African sharptooth catfish to de 3.2 cm (1.3 in) sickle barb. De same species dey occur for de Zambezi River insyd, wey dey indicate an historic link between de two river systems. Flora De Okavango Delta be home to 1068 plants wey dey belong to 134 families den 530 genera. Der be five important plant communities for de perennial swamp insyd: Papyrus cyperus for de deeper waters insyd, Miscanthus for de shallowly flooded sites insyd, den Phragmites australis, Typha capensis den Pycreus for between insyd. De swamp-dominant species, wey dem usually find for de perennial swamp insyd, sanso dey extend far into de seasonally inundated area. Papyrus cyperus reeds beds dey grow best for slow flowing waters of medium depth insyd den be prominent at de channel sides. For de islands den mainlands edges top above de flooded grasslands, dem find different communities of flora. Dem locate dem species according to demma water preference: for instance Philenoptera violacea dey require little water, dem find am at de highest elevations for de perennial swamps insyd, den e be common for drier seasonal swamp islands top. Trees wey dem restrict to islands within de perennial swamp be a mixture of de palm Hyphaene petersiana den acacias. De plants of de delta dey play an important role for preventing erosion insyd. De banks anaa levees of a river normally get a high mud content, den dis dey combine plus de sand for de river ein load insyd to continuously build up de river banks. De river ein load for de delta insyd dey consist almost entirely of sand, sekof de clean waters of de Okavango dey contain little mud. De plants dey capture de sand, wey e act as de glue den dey make up give de lack of mud, den for de process insyd dey create further islands for wey more plants fi take root top. Dis process no dey important for de formation of linear islands insyd. Dem be long den thin den often curve like a gently meandering river sekof dem actually be de natural banks of old river channels wey plant growth den sand deposition block am up, wey e result for de river changing course insyd den de old river levees dey becam islands. Sekof de flatness of de delta den de large tonnage of sand wey dey flow into am from de Okavango River, de floor of de delta be slowly but constantly dey rise. Wey channels be today, islands go be tomorrow den new channels go fi wash away dem islands wey dey exist. Pippoe De Okavango Delta pippoe dey consist of five ethnic groups, each plus ein own ethnic identity den language: de Hambukushu (wey dem sanso know am as Mbukushu, Bukushu, Bukusu, Mabukuschu, Ghuva, Haghuva), de Dceriku (Dxeriku, Diriku, Gciriku, Gceriku, Giriku, Niriku), de Wayeyi (Bayei, Bayeyi, Yei), de Bugakhwe (Kxoe, Khwe, Kwengo, Barakwena, G|anda) de ǁanikhwe (Gxanekwe, ǁtanekwe, River Bushmen, Swamp Bushmen, Gǁani, ǁani, Xanekwe). De Hambukushu, Dceriku, den Wayeyi engage traditionally for mixed economies of millet/sorghum agriculture, fishing, hunting, de collection of wild plant foods, den pastoralism insyd. De Bugakhwe den ǁanikwhe be Bushmen, wey dem practise fishing, hunting, den de collection of wild plant foods traditonally; Bugakhwe use both forest den riverine resources, while de ǁanikwhe mostly focus for riverine resources top. De Hambukushu, Dceriku, den Bugakhwe dey present along de Okavango River for Angola den for de Caprivi Strip of Namibia insyd, den small nombas of Hambukushu den Bugakhwe dey for Zambia insyd, as well. Within de Okavango Delta, ova de past 150 years anaa so, Hambukushu, Dceriku, den Bugakhwe inhabit de panhandle den de Magwegqana for de northeastern delta insyd. ǁanikwhe inhabit de panhandle den de area wey dey along de Boro River thru de delta, as well as de area wey dey along de Boteti River. De Wayeyi inhabit de area around Seronga as well as de southern delta around Maun, den a few Wayeyi dey live for demma putative ancestral home for de Caprivi Strip insyd. Within de past 20 years many pippoe from all ova de Okavango migrate to Maun, de late 1960s den early 1970s ova 4,000 Hambukushu refugees from Angola settle for de area insyd around Etsha for de western Panhandle insyd. De Okavango Delta already dey under de political control of de Batawana (a Tswana nation) since de late 18th century. Wey de house of Mathiba I lead am, de leader of a Bangwato offshoot, de Batawana establish complete control ova de delta for de 1850s insyd as de regional ivory trade explode. Most Batawana, howeva, traditionally live for de edges of de delta top, sekof de threat dat de tsetse fly dey pose to demma cattle. During a hiatus of sam 40 years, de tsetse fly retreat den most Batawana live for de swamps insyd from 1896 thru de late 1930s. Since then, de edge of de delta increasingly crowd plus ein growing human den livestock populations. Tourism De wilderness of de Okavango Delta den ein wildlife dey attract hundreds of thousands of tourists a year, plus de town of Maun dey serve as a gateway de region. Modern safari tourism wey dem develop during de late 1960s, wen dem build de first modern safari camps for de delta insyd. Tourism products since dem expand am dey include high-end lodge safaris, mobile safaris, self-drive camping, birdwatching, game drives, scenic flights, guided walks, recreational fishing den mokoro canoe excursions. Botswana generally promote a high-cost, low-volume tourism model for de Okavango region insyd, wey dem intend to limit environmental impacts while generating high visitor expenditure. A 2014 UNESCO report find der dey 2,129 tourist beds for de area insyd. For 2017 insyd de delta receive 52,638 visitors, wey 43,363 be international tourists den 9,275 be locals. Dis be a small fraction of de 1 million international tourists Botswana dey receive annually. Molapos (water streams) After de season wey e dey flood, de waters for de lower parts of de delta insyd, wey dey near de base, dey recede, wey e lef moisture behind for de soil insyd. Dem use dis residual moisture give plant fodder den oda crops wey fi thrive for am top. Dem locally know dis land as molapo. During 1974 to 1978, de floods be more intensive dan normal den flood recession cropping no dey possible, so severe food den fodder shortages occur. For response insyd, dem initiate de Molapo Development Project. E protect de molapo areas plus bunds to control de flooding den prevent severe flooding. Dem provide de bunds plus sluice gates so de water wey dem store dem fi release am den flood recession cropping fi start. Possible threats One possible threat be oil exploration by Canadian company ReconAfrica. Initial exploration for April 2021 insyd reveal oil deposits for sedimentary rock insyd. Environmentalists dey concern dat de project go get a negative ecological impact den dat dem fi threaten sam of de main bodies of water. ReconAfrica state say, "Der go be no damage to de ecosystem from de activities wey dem plan." De Namibian government present plans to build a hydropower station for de Zambezi Region insyd, wey go regulate de Okavango ein flow to sam extent. While proponents dey argue say de effect go dey minimal, environmentalists argue say dis project fi destroy most of de rich animal den plant life for de delta insyd. Oda threats dey include local human encroachment den regional extraction of water for both Angola den Namibia insyd. South African filmmaker den conservationist Rick Lomba warn for de 1980s insyd of de threat of cattle invasion to de area. Ein documentary The End of Eden portray ein lobbying for behalf of de delta top. Dem project de Okavango catchment to experience decreasing annual rainfall as well as increasing temperatures as a result of global warming. De effects of global warming dey likely to result for reductions insyd for de extent of floodplains insyd for de Okavango Delta insyd, wey go get significant impacts for water availability top as well as livestock rearing den agricultural activities for de region insyd. Conservation work by Conservation International Botswana for de Okavango Delta region insyd include education den policy engagement as well as research den monitoring such as aerial wildlife surveys den rapid biological appraisal work. Make you sanso see Kalahari Basin References Further reading Allison, P. (2007). Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales Of A Botswana Safari Guide. Globe Pequot. ISBN 9780762745654. Bock, J. (2002). "Learning, Life History, and Productivity: Children's lives in the Okavango Delta of Botswana". Human Nature. 13 (2): 161–198. doi:10.1007/s12110-002-1007-4. PMID 26192757. S2CID 28985956. External links Conservation International Archived 8 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine Okavango Delta concession areas Flow : information give Okavango Delta planning be de weblog of de Library of de Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Institute De Ngami Times be Ngamiland ein weekly newspaper Official Botswana Government site for Moremi Game Reserve top, insyd de Okavango Delta Wild Entrust International Seven Natural Wonders of Africa Discovery Channel - Kalahari Flood Flood-recession cropping for de molapos of de Okavango Delta insyd Okavango Research Institute Current Okavango water levels, weather data den satellite images Archived 7 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine 1986 Documentary The End of Eden by Rick Lomba Southern African Game Reserves - Okavango Delta