Okavango Delta region | |
|---|---|
  Okavango Delta region Location in Botswana | |
| Coordinates: 19°17′45.6″S22°54′36″E / 19.296000°S 22.91000°E | |
| Country |  |
| District | North-West District (Botswana) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 2,529 |
Okavango Delta region is one of the subdistricts of Ngamiland District of Botswana. [1] [2]
The districts of Botswana are subdivided into sub-districts. The sub-districts are listed below, by district:
The Okavango River is a river in southwest Africa. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for 1,600 km (990 mi). It begins in Angola, where it is known by the Portuguese name Rio Cubango. Further south, it forms part of the border between Angola and Namibia, and then flows into Botswana, draining into the Moremi Game Reserve.
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari. All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired and does not flow into any sea or ocean. Each year, about 11 cubic kilometres (2.6 cu mi) of water spread over the 6,000–15,000 km2 (2,300–5,800 sq mi) area. Some flood waters drain into Lake Ngami. The area was once part of Lake Makgadikgadi, an ancient lake that had mostly dried up by the early Holocene.
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 km² to 275,000 km² and was 30 m 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.
Maun is the fifth-largest town in Botswana. As of 2011, it had a population of 55,784. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district. Francistown and Maun there are linked by the A3 highway. It is also the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations who run trips into the Okavango Delta.
The North-West District or Ngamiland is one of the first level administrative subdivisions of Botswana. For census and administrative purposes Ngamiland is subdivided into Ngamiland East, Ngamiland West and Ngamiland Delta (Okavango). It is governed by a District Commissioner, appointed by the national government, and the elected North-West District Council. The administrative centre is Maun.
Gumare or Gomare is a rural village located in the North-West District of Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The population of Gumare was 6,067 in 2001 census, but had risen to 8,532 iby the 2011 census.
The Makgadikgadi Pan (Tswana pronunciation[maqʰadiˈqʰaːdi]), 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 several thousand years ago.
Moremi Game Reserve is a protected area in Botswana. It lies on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe. Moremi was designated as a game reserve, rather than a national park, when it was created. This designation meant that the BaSarwa or Bushmen that lived there were allowed to stay in the reserve.
Maun Airport is an international airport serving the town of Maun in the North-West District of Botswana. It is on the north side of the town and is accessible by shuttle bus or taxi.
Khwai is a village on the north bank of the Khwai River in the North-West District of Botswana. The river is the northern boundary of the Moremi Game Reserve, and the village is just outside the north gate of the reserve, which is on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta.
The wildlife of Botswana refers to the flora and fauna of Botswana. Botswana is around 90% covered in savanna, varying from shrub savanna in the southwest in the dry areas to tree savanna consisting of trees and grass in the wetter areas. Even under the hot conditions of the Kalahari Desert, many different species survive; in fact the country has more than 2500 species of plants and 650 species of trees. Vegetation and its wild fruits are also extremely important to rural populations living in the desert and are the principal source of food, fuel and medicine for many inhabitants.
The Zambezian flooded grasslands is an ecoregion of southern and eastern Africa that is rich in wildlife.
Botswana's principal tourist attractions are its game reserves, with hunting and photographic safaris available. Other attractions include the Okavango Delta region, which during the rainy season is a maze of waterways, islands, and lakes. The tourism industry also helped to diversify Botswana's economy from traditional sources such as diamonds and beef and created 23,000 jobs in 2005.
John McNutt, known as Tico McNutt, started the Wild Dog Research Project in 1989. His research in that field has been supported in part by the National Geographic Society. He received a doctorate in animal behavior from the University of California in 1995. . At the time, he founded the Botswana Wild Dog Research Project as little was known about the biology of the African wild dog, though it was believed to be one of the most endangered canine species. Since then, Tico has followed many wild dog packs in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, eventually expanding his studies to include all major predators in the region.
Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands is an ecoregion located in Botswana, northern Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) is situated in a region of Southern Africa where the international borders of five countries converge. It includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi River and Okavango basins and Delta, the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, the southeastern part of Angola, southwestern Zambia, the northern wildlands of Botswana and western Zimbabwe. The centre of this area is at the confluence of the Zambezi Chobe Rivers where the borders of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet. It incorporates Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park, and the Victoria Falls.
On 14 October 2011, a Cessna 208 Caravan turboprop passenger aircraft operated by Moremi Air on a domestic flight from Xakanaka camp to Maun, Botswana, crashed and caught fire shortly after take-off, killing eight of the twelve people on board.
Khwai River Airport is an airport serving the lodges and camps around the village of Khwai in Botswana.
Camp Okavango Airstrip is a private airstrip serving Camp Okavango, a safari camp in the Okavango Delta, in the North-West District of Botswana.
Xaxaba Airfield is an airstrip 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) west of Xaxaba, a village in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. It serves several safari camps in the area. The runway is just outside the Moremi Game Reserve.