| Mosetse River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Botswana |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Makgadikgadi Pans |
| Mouth | Sua Pan |
• location | Botswana |
| Length | 1,700 km (1,100 mi) |
The Mosetse River is a natural watercourse in Botswana. Within the country of Botswana the Mosetse is a source of water to the ephemeral wetlands of the Makgadikgadi Pans, where a number of crustacean species of limited distribution thrive. [1] More specifically the Mosetse River discharges into Sua Pan, draining parts of eastern Botswana.
Botswana is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa, north of South Africa. Botswana occupies an area of 581,730 square kilometres (224,610 sq mi), of which 566,730 km2 (218,820 sq mi) are land. Botswana has land boundaries of combined length 4,347.15 kilometres (2,701.19 mi), of which the constituent boundaries are shared with Namibia, for 1,544 km (959 mi); South Africa 1,969 km (1,223 mi); Zimbabwe, 834 km (518 mi) and Zambia, 0.15 km (0.093 mi). Much of the population of Botswana is concentrated in the eastern part of the country.
Lake Makgadikgadi was a paleolake that existed in what is now the Kalahari Desert in Botswana from 2,000,000 years BP to 10,000 years BP. It may have once covered an area of from 80,000 to 275,000 km2 and was 30 metres (98 ft) deep. The Okavango, Upper Zambezi, and Cuando rivers once all emptied into the lake. Its remains are seen in the Makgadikgadi salt pans, one of the largest salt pans in the world.
The Boteti River is a natural watercourse in Botswana. It derives flow from the core Okavango Delta through the Thamalakane River in Maun.
The Makgadikgadi Pan, a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi, which once covered an area larger than Switzerland, but dried up tens of thousands of years ago. Recent studies of human mitochondrial DNA suggest that modern Homo sapiens first began to evolve in this region some 200,000 years ago, when it was a vast, exceptionally fertile area of lakes, rivers, marshes, woodlands and grasslands especially favorable for habitation by evolving hominins and other mammals.
The Kalahari Basin, also known as the Kalahari Depression, Okavango Basin or the Makgadikgadi Basin, is an endorheic basin and large lowland area covering approximately 725,293 km2 (280,037 sq mi) — mostly within Botswana and Namibia, but also parts of Angola, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The outstanding physical feature in the basin, and occupying the centre, is the large Kalahari Desert.
Nata is a village in the Central District of Botswana. Located in the north of the district, the village is served by Nata Airport. The population was 6,802 at the 2011 census. The village of Nata lies along the Nata River, which carries its rainy season flow to the Makgadikgadi Pans, a seasonal hypersaline lake.The village has 6 wards named Sekao, Maaloso, Kachikao, Manakanagore, Makwenaejang and Basimane.
Mosetse is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located along the road from Francistown to Nata. The population was 1,661 in 2001 census. Mosetse lies along the Mosetse River, which ultimately discharges to the Sua Pan, a part of the Makgadikgadi Pan.
Mosu is a village in Central District of Botswana. The village is located to the south of Sua Pan – the eastern half of Makgadikgadi Pan – and it has a primary school and a junior secondary school namely Mosu Primary School and Makgadikgadi Junior Secondary School respectively. The population was 1,792 in 2011 census. Mosu is also the gateway to Makgadikgadi plains. Village is located on the foot of a hilly landform, exposing the village's terrain to massive soil erosion.
The Ntwetwe Pan is a large salt pan within the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana. The Ntwetwe is one of three large pans within the Makgadikgadi, the other two being Nxai Pan and Sua Pan. Ntwetwe Pan is now a seasonal lake with filling occurring in the rainy season. Ntwetwe was first described to the European world by David Livingstone, pursuant to his explorations in this region. Significant archaeological recoveries have occurred within the Nwetwe Pan, including Stone Age tools from people who lived in this area, in an earlier time of prehistory when a large year round lake occupied the Nwetwe Pan area within the Makgadikgadi.
Branchinella ornata is a species within the family Thamnocephalidae. This fairy shrimp species is found in parts of Southern Africa, notably the Sua and Nwetwe Pans of the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.
The Semowane River is a major natural watercourse in Southern Africa. Within Botswana the Semowane River forms a boundary between several governmental jurisdictions. This river is a vital source of water to the ephemeral wetlands of the Makgadikgadi, where a number of species of limited distribution thrive. Specifically the Semowane River discharges to Sua Pan.
The Sua Pan or Sowa Pan is a large natural topographic depression within the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana. It is located near the village of Sowa, whose name means salt in the language of the San. The Sua salt pan is one of three large pans within the Makgadikgadi, the other two being Nxai Pan and Nwetwe Pan.
The Nata River or Manzamnyama River is a natural watercourse in Southern Africa. It is an ephemeral river flowing in Zimbabwe and Botswana. It has a length of 330 kilometres (210 mi) from its source to mouth, 210 kilometres (130 mi) in Zimbabwe and 120 kilometres (75 mi) in Botswana. Its total catchment area is 24,585 square kilometres (9,492 sq mi). The river originates in Sandown, a small farming town located on the Zimbabwean central watershed 50 kilometres (31 mi) south west of Bulawayo and ends in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana. There is no outlet from the salt pans which can be considered as the “dead sea” of the south. The upper reaches of the river are located in a commercial farming area where good environmental and farming practices have resulted in the river experiencing very little siltation/sedimentation. Impressive sedimentation starts occurring about 65 kilometres (40 mi) along the river course marking the beginning of a 90-kilometre (56 mi) stretch in Zimbabwe where the river passes through communal farming areas. It is on this stretch where the sand-abstraction potential of the river is realised and communities rely on the sand river water for domestic, farming and livestock purposes. Within the country of Botswana the Nata River is a source of water to the ephemeral wetlands of the Makgadikgadi Pans, where a number of species of limited distribution thrive. Specifically the Nata River discharges to Sua Pan, draining parts of eastern Botswana and southwestern Zimbabwe.
Nxai Pan is a large salt pan topographic depression which is part of the larger Makgadikgadi Pans in northeastern Botswana. It lies on the old Pandamatenga Trail, which until the 1960s was used for overland cattle drives. The area is speckled with umbrella acacias and is said to resemble the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Nxai Pan was added to the National Park System to augment the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, thus providing an enlarged contiguous area of natural protection.
The Mosope River is a natural watercourse in Botswana, passing through the village of Moshupa. The Mosope River joins the Kolobeng River to form Metsimotlhaba which joins Notwane River around Mochudi, and continues to the Limpopo River.
The Lepashe River is a natural watercourse in Botswana. It shares its name with the village of Lepashe, through which the river flows. The Lepashe River discharges to the Sua Pan. There are significant gravel resources along some reaches of the Lepashe River.
Gweta is a small village in Botswana. It lies about 205 kilometres (127 mi) away from Maun and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Nata.
The Nata Bird Sanctuary, the only protected reserve in the northeastern periphery of Sowa Pan in Botswana, is a community-managed project, with assistance from the Nata Conservation Committee and national and international organizations. Founded in 1988, it opened for operations in 1993; it encompasses an area of 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi), with the objective of conservation of wildlife. The community project is managed by a Trust titled the "Kalahari Conservation Society", which has members drawn from the four villages of Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae in the vicinity of the sanctuary.
Lekhubu Island is a rock outcrop in Botswana. It is located in the Southern campus of the large natural topographic depression within the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana called the Sua Pan, which is the largest pan in Botswana. It is a two billion year old granite rock island, crescent shaped and is about one kilometre long, its slopes are littered with fossil beaches of rounded pebbles, an indication of the prehistoric lake's former water levels. Lukhubu is referred to as an island because it is surrounded by a sea of white salt.
The Mosetse–Kazungula–Livingstone Railway is a prospected 430 kilometres (270 mi) cape gauge international railway connecting the Botswana railway network at Mosetse, Botswana with the Zambian railway network at Livingstone, Zambia over the new Kazungula Bridge on the Zambezi River.
20°39′19″S26°07′11″E / 20.6553°S 26.1197°E