A visual interpretation of a Landsat mosaic of the Okavango delta and surrounding area

The Okavango River, the second largest river in Southern Africa, ends its journey in the Kalahari thirstland of Botswana, where it has formed an inland delta of about 16,000 km z of which about 10,000 km ~ is swamp. This is a large delta being about three quarters the size of the Nile delta. The juxtaposition of the Okavango swamp and the Kalahari-sand plain is favorable to wildlife and holds a fascination for man who has been called a "creature of the edges." It is worth studying the Okavango delta and surrounding area not only for its wide range of aquatic and terrestrial environments but also because faulting and warping of the earth's crust and their effect on river flow are portrayed on a grand scale. Evidence of past climates is also clearly visible in the form of sand dunes.