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All Namibia Namib Sand Sea
AO Edited

Namib Sand Sea

A desert that rolls right up to the ocean, where it's so dry animals live off the fog.

Namibia

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Namib Sand Sea   Buiobuione/CC BY-SA 4.0
Namib Sand Sea   Buiobuione/CC BY-SA 4.0
Waves coming up to the dunes   Buiobuione/CC BY-SA 4.0
Namib Sand Sea   Keith Roper/CC BY 2.0
Namib Sand Sea   Keith Roper/CC BY 2.0
Kuiseb River separating dunes   Sonse/CC BY 2.0
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The beautiful red sand of the Namib Sand Sea flows right up to the actual waves of the ocean.

It's one of the world's only coastal deserts, with dune fields winding over its three million hectares. There are two dune systems at work here, one that is ancient and one that is young. It's also known as the world's oldest desert, believed to have been formed by the erosion of materials from thousands of kilometers away. While it is incredibly arid, with fog as the primary source of water, the desert still boasts a wide array of endemic wildlife, including the Welwitschia plant, the Dune Lark, and various reptiles and invertebrates. 

The Namib Sand Sea was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. 

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Deserts Dunes Natural Wonders Nature

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Allison

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aribrown, pishh, Ursula, Michelle Cassidy...

  • aribrown
  • pishh
  • Ursula
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • KramerMan

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July 9, 2013

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  • http://whenonearth.net/desert-meets-sea-namib-sand-sea/
Namib Sand Sea
Namibia
-24.387127, 14.851799
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