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As the ancestral Lake
Makgadikgadi shrank, it left relic shorelines, which are most evident in the southwestern part of the basin. As the lake shrank numerous smaller lakes formed with progressively smaller shorelines. The relic shorelines at elevations of 3100 feet and 3018 feet can be seen mostly
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is a single salt flat of 4,100 sq mi (10,619.0 km), rarely has much water, and is generally claimed to be the world's largest salt pan. A dry, salty, clay crust most of the year, the pans are seasonally covered with water and grass, and are then a refuge for birds and animals in this
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The salt pans are very inhospitable and human intervention has been minimal so they remain fairly undisturbed, although land surrounding the pans is used for grazing and some areas have been fenced off, preventing the migration of wildlife. Modern commercial operations to extract
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for irrigation, which would cause severe damage to the salt pan ecosystem. Another threat is the use of quad bikes and off-road vehicles by tourists, which disturbs breeding colonies of flamingos. Illegal hunting in the national parks is a persistent problem.
651:
National Park. The
Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve is the scene of large migrations of zebra and wildebeest from the Boteti River across to Ntwetwe Pan, while the Nata Sanctuary in Sua Pan is a place to see birdlife and antelopes. In Nxai Pan the
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first began to evolve in this region some 200,000 years ago, when it was a vast, exceptionally fertile area of lakes, rivers, marshes, woodlands and grasslands especially favorable for habitation by evolving hominins and other mammals.
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recovery in the
Makgadikgadi Pan has revealed the presence of prehistoric man through abundant finds of stone tools; some of these tools have been dated sufficiently early to establish their origin as earlier than the era of
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in southern Africa, and only on the Soa pan, which is part of the
Makgadikgadi pans. The other breeding population is at Etosha, in the Northern part of Namibia. The only birds here in the dry season are
554:
Very little wildlife can exist here during the harsh dry season of strong hot winds and only salt water, but following a rain the pan becomes an important habitat for migrating animals including
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and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. The prominent baobab trees found in the area function as local landmarks. One of them, named after
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and Kukome Island are igneous rock "islands" in the salt flat of Sua pan. Kubu Island lies in the southwestern quadrant of Sua Pan, contains a number of
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The geologic processes behind the formation of the basin are not well understood. It is conjectured that there was a gentle down-warping of the
927:
Cooke, H. J. (1980) "Landform evolution in the context of climatic change and neo-tectonism in the Middle
Kalahari of north-central Botswana"
914:
Cooke, H. J. (1980) "Landform evolution in the context of climatic change and neo-tectonism in the Middle
Kalahari of north-central Botswana"
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1049:
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The pans themselves are salty desert whose only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae. However the fringes of the pan are
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and associated faulting; however, no significant plate boundary faults have been identified. The main axis of the developing
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populations, and the large predators that prey on them. The wet season also brings migratory birds such as ducks, geese and
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Chan, E. K. F., 2019. Human origins in a southern
African palaeo-wetland and first migrations.
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380:. The largest individual pan is about 1,900 sq mi (4,921.0 km). In comparison,
89:
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Helgren, David M. (1984) "Historical
Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology in the Southwestern
432:. Pastoralists herded grazing livestock here when water was more plentiful earlier in the
8:
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and form the bed of the ancient Lake
Makgadikgadi, which evaporated many millennia ago.
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very arid part of the world. The climate is hot and dry, but with regular annual rains.
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began on Sua Pan in 1991, and there are also plans to divert water from the
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Botswana: Okavango Delta, Chobe, Northern
Kalahari: the Bradt Safari Guide
618:
593:. The grasslands on the fringes of the pan are home to reptiles such as
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364:, Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan, but many pans with sandy
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339:, but dried up tens of thousands of years ago. Recent studies of human
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These salt pans cover 6,200 sq mi (16,057.9 km) in the
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in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous
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are still visible. The area can be accessed between the towns of
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are clearly visible to the right of the dark-green broom-shaped
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570:. The pan is home of one of only two breeding populations of
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The Lake That Completely Disappeared In Botswana | Our World
647:
There are some protected areas within the Makgadikgadi and
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Victoria Falls share geology with Makgadikgadi and Kalahari
323:
situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern
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The main water source is the 330 kilometers (210 mi) long
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991:"Makgadikgadi Pans - Kalahari safari stirs the soul"
296:
281:
944:(2nd edition) Bradt, Chalfont, St. Peter, England,
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272:
266:
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
903:Annals of the Association of American Geographers
1134:
1087:Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
968:Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, Australia,
412:. A smaller amount of water is supplied by the
183:. A smaller amount of water is supplied by the
1064:
964:Hardy, Paula and Firestone, Matthew D. (2007)
929:Transactions, Institute of British Geographers
916:Transactions, Institute of British Geographers
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893:
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605:, snakes and lizards including the endemic
507:, and is protected as a national monument.
351:
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550:Flamingo migration at the Makgadikgadi Pan
612:. The region's salt water is home to the
526:) in the Makgadikgadi Pan's National Park
335:, which once covered an area larger than
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
855:, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
545:
514:
468:
988:
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656:painted by 19th century British artist
1135:
1038:
478:easily on Gidikwe Ridge, west of the
408:about 37 mi (59.5 km) from
314:
179:about 37 mi (59.5 km) from
54:adding citations to reliable sources
25:
13:
368:in between, the largest being the
14:
1184:
1011:
989:Sissons, Mark (31 October 2010).
610:(Agama hispida makgadikgadiensis)
443:with an elevation of 2,920 feet.
439:The lowest place in the basin is
1018:Images from the Mkgadikgadi Pans
797:The Grand Tour: One For The Road
745:
729:
710:
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262:
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1168:Flooded grasslands and savannas
874:, Bradt publishers, 502 pages
41:needs additional citations for
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820:doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1714-1
810:
459:Panoramic view of the salt pan
1:
905:74(2): pp. 298–307, page 299
804:
718:Southern red-billed hornbills
167:The main water source is the
7:
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152:in this satellite image of
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1158:National parks of Botswana
1153:Endorheic basins of Africa
1066:National Parks of Botswana
995:Hearst Communications Inc.
868:Botswana: Okavango Delta,
790:Top Gear: Botswana Special
675:
497:runs northeast–southwest.
464:
316:[makχʰadiˈkχʰaːdi]
18:
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918:5: pp. 80–99, pages 83-84
489:, with accompanying mild
416:from the Okavango Delta.
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851:C. Michael Hogan (2008)
626:Threats and preservation
607:Makgadikgadi spiny agama
541:
510:
352:Location and description
327:, is one of the largest
187:from the Okavango delta.
171:, called Amanzanyama in
19:Not to be confused with
1024:"Zambezian halophytics"
940:McIntyre, Chris (2007)
356:Lying southeast of the
16:Dry lakebed in Botswana
1163:Ecoregions of Botswana
1148:Salt flats of Botswana
1030:. World Wildlife Fund.
1028:Terrestrial Ecoregions
966:Botswana & Namibia
866:Chris McIntyre (2008)
752:Cape ground squirrel (
668:, or from the town of
591:(Charadrius pecuarius)
581:chestnut-banded plover
551:
527:
474:
360:and surrounded by the
1097:Khama Rhino Sanctuary
931:5: pp. 80–99, page 85
584:(Charadrius pallidus)
549:
518:
472:
689:Colony of meerkats (
568:great white pelicans
404:, where it rises at
343:suggest that modern
175:, where it rises at
50:improve this article
872:, Northern Kalahari
601:Varanus albigularis
235: /
899:Makgadikgadi Basin
722:Tockus rufirostris
691:Suricata suricatta
552:
528:
475:
65:"Makgadikgadi Pan"
1130:
1129:
978:978-1-74104-760-8
954:978-1-84162-166-1
776:Lovenula africana
740:) in the salt pan
588:Kittlitz's plover
572:greater flamingos
341:mitochondrial DNA
333:Lake Makgadikgadi
313:
255:
254:
239:20.800°S 25.333°E
144:The Makgadikgadi
126:
125:
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21:Lake Makgadikgadi
1180:
1173:Zambezian region
1143:Makgadikgadi Pan
1107:Makgadikgadi Pan
1077:Central Kalahari
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382:Salar de Uyuni
358:Okavango Delta
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61:Find sources:
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39:This article
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901:, Botswana"
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853:Makgadikgadi
852:
847:
836:, retrieved
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532:salt marshes
529:
523:
505:baobab trees
499:
484:
480:Boteti River
476:
438:
430:Homo sapiens
429:
418:
414:Boteti River
397:
391:
355:
345:Homo sapiens
344:
258:
256:
185:Boteti River
127:
112:
103:
93:
86:
79:
72:
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48:Please help
43:verification
40:
736:Ostriches (
619:Moina belli
616:crustacean
562:'s biggest
558:and one of
501:Kubu Island
398:Amanzanyama
337:Switzerland
242: /
217:Coordinates
1137:Categories
1000:31 October
998:Retrieved
805:References
641:Nata River
614:cladoceran
556:wildebeest
394:Nata River
329:salt flats
169:Nata River
76:newspapers
1092:Kgalagadi
838:15 August
595:tortoises
577:ostriches
524:Adansonia
491:tectonics
378:Nxai Pans
193:Geography
1112:Mokolodi
970:page 100
946:page 381
762:See also
705:Meerkats
649:Nxai Pan
637:soda ash
434:Holocene
410:Bulawayo
402:Zimbabwe
396:, called
372:(Sowa),
325:Botswana
321:salt pan
211:Botswana
198:Location
181:Bulawayo
173:Zimbabwe
154:Botswana
676:Gallery
654:baobabs
465:Geology
441:Sua Pan
406:Sandown
386:Bolivia
374:Ntwetwe
251:
230:25°20′E
227:20°48′S
208:Country
177:Sandown
90:scholar
1117:Moremi
1102:Khutse
976:
952:
878:
818:Nature
783:Sigara
560:Africa
520:Baobab
495:graben
366:desert
310:Tswana
92:
85:
78:
71:
63:
1082:Chobe
870:Chobe
670:Gweta
564:zebra
542:Fauna
511:Flora
487:crust
319:), a
97:JSTOR
83:books
1122:Nxai
1002:2010
974:ISBN
950:ISBN
876:ISBN
840:2022
666:Maun
664:and
662:Nata
635:and
633:salt
586:and
376:and
257:The
146:pans
69:news
400:in
384:in
370:Sua
52:by
1139::
1026:.
993:.
972:,
948:,
886:^
756:)
672:.
622:.
579:,
482:.
436:.
1058:e
1051:t
1044:v
1004:.
800:.
724:)
720:(
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603:)
599:(
522:(
307:(
303:/
300:i
297:d
294:æ
291:k
288:ˈ
285:i
282:d
279:æ
276:k
273:ˈ
270:ə
267:m
264:/
119:)
113:(
108:)
104:(
94:·
87:·
80:·
73:·
46:.
23:.
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