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   Namibia, once South West Africa, is a large and mainly barren country sharing borders with Angola to the north,
   Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and, in the Caprivi Strip, a narrow strip of Namibian territory
   jutting from the northeast corner of the country, with Zambia and Zimbabwe.
   To the west is 1280 km (795 miles) of some of the most desolate and lonely coastline in the world.
   Along its entire length, the vast shifting sand dunes of the Namib Desert spread inland for 80-130 km (50-80 miles).
   In the interior, the escarpment of a north–south plateau slopes away to the east and north into the vast interior
   sand basin of the Kalahari.
   In the far northwest the 66,000 sq km (25,500 sq miles) of the Kaokoland mountains run along the coast,
   while further inland lies the Etosha Pan (a dried-out salt lake), surrounded by grasslands and bush which
   support a large and varied wildlife.
   The Etosha National Park & Wildlife Reserve is one of the finest in Africa, in that it remains, to a large extent,
   free of man's influence.

   Fish River Canyon is in the south of the country and only second in dimensions to the Grand Canyon.
   (Although some books say it is third to the Grand canyon. Go and measure them!)
   Situated between Seeheim and Ai-Ais, the gigantic cleft stretches for 150 km (93 miles) and is up to 27 km
   (17 miles) wide and up to 550m (1804ft) deep in parts.

   The Namib Desert appears more like the surface of the moon with its towering sand dunes
   (some of them 300m/1000ft high), and is believed to be the oldest desert in the world.
   Namib Naukluft Park, at 49,768 sq km (19,215 sq miles), is the fourth-largest conservation area in the world.
   There are campsites in the Namib Desert at Sesriem, where the Tsauchab River disappears down a deep gorge
   in the plain leaving pools of water where many animals feed.
   The nearby Soussusvlei area is an ocean of sand dunes up to 300m (1000ft) high, stretching as far as the eye can see
   and is home to countless water birds in the rainy season and oryx, springbok and ostriches during the dry season.

   The Skeleton Coast is a strange desert shoreline with massive dunes and treacherous rocks, the name relating to the
   number of ships wrecked and lost in the vicinity.
   The cold Benguela current keeps the coastline cool, damp and rain-free for most of the year, with a thick coastal fog.

   Namibia's desert environment makes it very different from the rest of southern Africa and is well worth a visit.

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     Parts of this text were borrowed from other sources.