What is Kalahari Desert?
[[File:LocationKalahari.PNG|thumb|350px|The Kalahari Desert (shown in maroon) & Kalahari Basin (orange)]] [[File:Kalahari E02 00.jpg|thumb|250px|Kalahari in Namibia]] The '''Kalahari Desert''' is a large [[arid]] to [[semi-arid]] sandy area in southern [[Kgalagadi]] [[Africa]] extending 900,000 [[square kilometres|km²]] (362,500 sq. mi.), covering much of [[Botswana]] and parts of [[Namibia]] and [[South Africa]]. It has huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography is a portion of [[desert]] and a [[plateau]]. The Kalahari supports some animals and plants because most of it is not a true desert. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. The driest areas usually receive {{convert|110|-|200|mm}} of rain per year, and the wettest just a little over {{convert|500|mm}}. The surrounding [[Kalahari Basin]] covers over 2.5 million km² extending farther into [[Botswana, Namibia]] and [[South Africa]], and encroaching into parts of [[Angola]], [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]. The only permanent river, the [[Okavango River|Okavango]], flows into a [[river delta|delta]] in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds—called [[omuramba]]—traverse the Central Northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season. Previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though [[leopard]] or cheetah can still be found. == Game reserves == [[File:Suricata.jpg|left|thumb|100px|A [[meerkat]] in the Kalahari]] The Kalahari has a number of game reserves—the [[Central Kalahari Game Reserve]] (CKGR, the world's second largest [[protected area]]), [[Khutse Game Reserve]] and the [[Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park]]. Animals that live in the region include brown [[hyena]]s, [[lion]]s, [[meerkat]]s, [[giraffe]], [[warthog]]s, [[jackal]]s and several species of [[antelop