With AfrikaOnline to Botswana
Botswana is located in southern Africa, north of South Africa. Botswana borders South Africa to the south and southeast, Zambia to the northeast, Zimbabwe to the east, and Namibia to the north and west.
The surface area of Botswana is almost 600,000 square kilometres. This makes Botswana approximately 16 times the size of the Netherlands.
A large part of the country is taken up by the Kalahari Desert and the remnants of a former desert. The landscape is very varied, ranging from the enormous oasis called the Okavango Delta to plains in the east and rock formations in Tsodilo. A single river still winds its way through the country.
The best known are the Chobe River in the northwest and the Okavango River.
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Botswana has a desert climate. Winter (May to July) is cold and dry. Temperatures drop considerably, especially at night and in the early morning. Summer (September to April) is hot. Botswana experiences a lot of rain and thunderstorms during this period. Both days and nights are very hot, reaching above forty degrees Celsius.
The natural distribution of vegetation in Botswana is strongly linked to the pattern of rainfall. Most of the country consists of savannahs: bushes grow there with tree and grass savannahs in the remaining areas.
Small parts of Botswana are wooded. Acacias and mopanes are the most common tree species. True forests are found only in the north, along the banks of the Chobe River.
Common shrubs and trees include: acacia, almond, baobab, euphorbia, palm, teak, and welwitschia.
Botswana is known for its great diversity of animals. Most African wild species can be found there, along with other animal species native to the country. Compared to the rest of Africa, Botswana has remained well protected from poachers. According to statistics, the country has 164 species of mammals, 157 species of reptiles, eighty species of fish, 550 species of birds, and countless species of insects.
Known animal species include: monkey, antelope, giraffe, lion, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant, and panther.
Holidays and sights
Botswana boasts a varied landscape, although the majority of the country consists of the Kalahari Desert. Safari opportunities in Botswana are abundant and the country's wildlife density is very high.
The Okavango Delta, the world's largest inland river delta, is made up of a labyrinth of thousands of large and small rivers, creeks, and islands, making it largely accessible by a traditional ‘mokoro’, a dugout canoe. The small Moremi Game Reserve is a highly sought-after safari destination due to its great variety of animals, particularly approx. 500 bird species, and mopane woodlands. The Tsodilo Hills in the Kalahari Desert are one of the most sacred places of the San people, where approx. 4000 ancient rock paintings depicting dances, animals, and hunting scenes are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the second-largest game reserve in the world.
From the town of Maun, most safaris are organised to the national parks and reserves. Anyone looking for wild animals will find it fully rewarding in Chobe National Park (1200 km²), the most visited park in Botswana, where, in addition to approximately 460 bird species, almost all the large mammals of Southern Africa can be found, with the exception of the rhinoceros. Among others, large herds of elephants (approx. 120,000) migrate to the Chobe River.
The enormous Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, the largest in the world, are a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts in both the dry and wet seasons, where Africa’s second-largest zebra migration takes place. Other nature reserves include the Nata Bird Sanctuary (birds), Nxai Pan National Park (sand dunes and large herds of springbok, giraffe, and zebra, among others), the Linyati Wetlands (elephants and wild dogs, among others), the water-rich private reserve Kwando Concession (herds of elephants and buffalo, among others), the Selinda Concession (many wild dogs, among others), the Khutse Game Reserve, Khama Rhino Sanctuary (rhinos), Savute Game Reserve, Northern Tuli Game Reserve (lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, among others), and Mashatu Game Reserve, where even a mountain bike safari is possible.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a relatively new wildlife park, with large herds of wildebeest and other antelopes, and encompasses the former Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (South Africa) and Gemsbok National Park (Botswana). Mokolodi Game Reserve is an educational private wildlife park where white rhinoceroses still occur and a successful breeding programme for this rare animal has been established.
Bron: landenweb.nl
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