Stunning Desert. The Kalahari Desert is a huge area of land that extends from the Northern Cape of South Africa up into Botswana and Namibia. It is believed to be some 500 million years old and is home to a number of fossils that have fascinated researchers for decades. It measures almost a million square kilometres.
Mud Island River Park, located on the south end of the island, opened to the public in 1982. It is located within the Memphis city limits, 1.2 miles from the coast of downtown, and houses a museum, restaurants, and an amphitheater.
The first buildings of the shore establishment were begun in 1885 (including what is now known as the Quarterdeck Block) and building work then continued alongside the tasks of draining and levelling the land (the site was known colloquially as 'Mud Island').