Kalahari Desert
Desert- an arid land mass covered with sand and thorny bush which receives less than 10 inches of rainfall per year. A desert, in my opinion, is a harsh environment that is unable to support life. So let us explore a so -called desert and compare it to definition. The Kalahari is a desert located in Southern Africa, but is it a desert? It is argued that the Kalahari resembles the Sahel more so than the desert. What is the Sahel? It lies on the outer regions of desert and has more vegetation and grassy hills. In short it is land that is able to support life, mostly through various vegetation and increased rainfall. Through researching the desert it is apparent that the Kalahari is in fact not a desert by definition or by my opinion, and is known to receive up to 40 inches of rainfall per year, defying the definition of a desert. This region is home to several tribes, many species of wildlife, and various vegetation. This contradicts my opinion and the definition. Thus, the Kalahari is a life supporting environment and not an uninhabitable desert. The Kalahari Desert is large arid landmass that covers more than 190,000 square miles of Southern Africa. It spreads from the Orange River to Angola, and from Namibia in the west
The desert has since been home to the Khoiki and the San together known as the! Kung people. These people are Bushmen who are the first known inhabitants of the Kalahari. The desert also provides life to one of Africa's last wildlife paradises . Animals including brown Hyenas, Lions, Meerkats, Antelope, Various birds, reptiles, giraffe, and wildebeest. In addition to these forms of life varied forms of vegetation are found here, scrubby acacias, Gwa berries, bitter melon, water roots, monongo nuts, and morama beans. So as you can see, the Kalahari is not your typical desert by definition. These Bushmen live in tribes of 10-30 people in semi-permanent homes. Once their water source dries up at the end of the rain season, the band has to pack up and carry their belongings and migrate to a place where a reliable water source can be found. Their semi-permanent homes are constructed with materials located in their environment. The huts are small and built of grass with all doors facing the center, circling a large communal area where children play, women cook, and all family life except for sleeping takes place. A fire is burning in front of each hut at all times . The !Kung People or Bushmen were the original settlers of the Kalahari Desert and occupy isolated areas of Botswana, Angola, And Namibia. These people call themselves Zhan/Twasi or " The Real People", is this because they believe they are true people of the earth? They inhabit this region, which is covered with brush, some trees, and low grassy hills. The climate ranges from freezing in the winter to 100 degrees Celsius and above in the summer. This makes this region very harsh and hard to live in. This area is avoided by most settlers, but has been proven livable by the !Kung who have adapted to their environment. to Zimbabwe in t
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Approximate Word count = 1225
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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