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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.
662:
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
565:
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
938:
Cooke, H. J. (1980) "Landform evolution in the context of climatic change and neo-tectonism in the Middle
Kalahari of north-central Botswana"
925:
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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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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391:. The largest individual pan is about 1,900 sq mi (4,921.0 km). In comparison,
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Helgren, David M. (1984) "Historical
Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology in the Southwestern
443:. Pastoralists herded grazing livestock here when water was more plentiful earlier in the
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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
629:
604:. The grasslands on the fringes of the pan are home to reptiles such as
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375:, Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan, but many pans with sandy
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350:, 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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581:. 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
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There are some protected areas within the Makgadikgadi and
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Victoria Falls share geology with Makgadikgadi and Kalahari
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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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1002:"Makgadikgadi Pans - Kalahari safari stirs the soul"
307:
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955:(2nd edition) Bradt, Chalfont, St. Peter, England,
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283:
277:
67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
914:Annals of the Association of American Geographers
1145:
1098:Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
979:Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, Australia,
423:. A smaller amount of water is supplied by the
194:. A smaller amount of water is supplied by the
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975:Hardy, Paula and Firestone, Matthew D. (2007)
940:Transactions, Institute of British Geographers
927:Transactions, Institute of British Geographers
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616:, snakes and lizards including the endemic
518:, and is protected as a national monument.
362:
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561:Flamingo migration at the Makgadikgadi Pan
623:. The region's salt water is home to the
537:) in the Makgadikgadi Pan's National Park
346:, which once covered an area larger than
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
866:, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
556:
525:
479:
999:
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667:painted by 19th century British artist
14:
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489:easily on Gidikwe Ridge, west of the
419:about 37 mi (59.5 km) from
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190:about 37 mi (59.5 km) from
65:adding citations to reliable sources
36:
24:
379:in between, the largest being the
25:
1195:
1022:
1000:Sissons, Mark (31 October 2010).
621:(Agama hispida makgadikgadiensis)
454:with an elevation of 2,920 feet.
450:The lowest place in the basin is
1029:Images from the Mkgadikgadi Pans
808:The Grand Tour: One For The Road
756:
740:
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273:
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1179:Flooded grasslands and savannas
885:, Bradt publishers, 502 pages
52:needs additional citations for
18:Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
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831:doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1714-1
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470:Panoramic view of the salt pan
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1:
916:74(2): pp. 298–307, page 299
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729:Southern red-billed hornbills
178:The main water source is the
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163:in this satellite image of
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1200:
1169:National parks of Botswana
1164:Endorheic basins of Africa
1077:National Parks of Botswana
1006:Hearst Communications Inc.
879:Botswana: Okavango Delta,
801:Top Gear: Botswana Special
686:
508:runs northeast–southwest.
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327:[makχʰadiˈkχʰaːdi]
29:
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929:5: pp. 80–99, pages 83-84
500:, with accompanying mild
427:from the Okavango Delta.
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862:C. Michael Hogan (2008)
637:Threats and preservation
618:Makgadikgadi spiny agama
552:
521:
363:Location and description
338:, is one of the largest
198:from the Okavango delta.
182:, called Amanzanyama in
30:Not to be confused with
1035:"Zambezian halophytics"
951:McIntyre, Chris (2007)
367:Lying southeast of the
27:Dry lakebed in Botswana
1174:Ecoregions of Botswana
1159:Salt flats of Botswana
1041:. World Wildlife Fund.
1039:Terrestrial Ecoregions
977:Botswana & Namibia
877:Chris McIntyre (2008)
763:Cape ground squirrel (
679:, or from the town of
602:(Charadrius pecuarius)
592:chestnut-banded plover
562:
538:
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371:and surrounded by the
1108:Khama Rhino Sanctuary
942:5: pp. 80–99, page 85
595:(Charadrius pallidus)
560:
529:
483:
700:Colony of meerkats (
579:great white pelicans
415:, where it rises at
354:suggest that modern
186:, where it rises at
61:improve this article
883:, Northern Kalahari
612:Varanus albigularis
246: /
910:Makgadikgadi Basin
733:Tockus rufirostris
702:Suricata suricatta
563:
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76:"Makgadikgadi Pan"
1141:
1140:
989:978-1-74104-760-8
965:978-1-84162-166-1
787:Lovenula africana
751:) in the salt pan
599:Kittlitz's plover
583:greater flamingos
352:mitochondrial DNA
344:Lake Makgadikgadi
324:
266:
265:
250:20.800°S 25.333°E
155:The Makgadikgadi
137:
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32:Lake Makgadikgadi
16:(Redirected from
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1184:Zambezian region
1154:Makgadikgadi Pan
1118:Makgadikgadi Pan
1088:Central Kalahari
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393:Salar de Uyuni
369:Okavango Delta
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72:Find sources:
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912:, Botswana"
878:
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864:Makgadikgadi
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847:, retrieved
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543:salt marshes
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516:baobab trees
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495:
491:Boteti River
487:
449:
441:Homo sapiens
440:
429:
425:Boteti River
408:
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356:Homo sapiens
355:
269:
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196:Boteti River
138:
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59:Please help
54:verification
51:
747:Ostriches (
630:Moina belli
627:crustacean
573:'s biggest
569:and one of
512:Kubu Island
409:Amanzanyama
348:Switzerland
253: /
228:Coordinates
1148:Categories
1011:31 October
1009:Retrieved
816:References
652:Nata River
625:cladoceran
567:wildebeest
405:Nata River
340:salt flats
180:Nata River
87:newspapers
1103:Kgalagadi
849:15 August
606:tortoises
588:ostriches
535:Adansonia
502:tectonics
389:Nxai Pans
204:Geography
1123:Mokolodi
981:page 100
957:page 381
773:See also
716:Meerkats
660:Nxai Pan
648:soda ash
445:Holocene
421:Bulawayo
413:Zimbabwe
407:, called
383:(Sowa),
336:Botswana
332:salt pan
222:Botswana
209:Location
192:Bulawayo
184:Zimbabwe
165:Botswana
687:Gallery
665:baobabs
476:Geology
452:Sua Pan
417:Sandown
397:Bolivia
385:Ntwetwe
262:
241:25°20′E
238:20°48′S
219:Country
188:Sandown
101:scholar
1128:Moremi
1113:Khutse
987:
963:
889:
829:Nature
794:Sigara
571:Africa
531:Baobab
506:graben
377:desert
321:Tswana
103:
96:
89:
82:
74:
1093:Chobe
881:Chobe
681:Gweta
575:zebra
553:Fauna
522:Flora
498:crust
330:), a
108:JSTOR
94:books
1133:Nxai
1013:2010
985:ISBN
961:ISBN
887:ISBN
851:2022
677:Maun
675:and
673:Nata
646:and
644:salt
597:and
387:and
268:The
157:pans
80:news
411:in
395:in
381:Sua
63:by
1150::
1037:.
1004:.
983:,
959:,
897:^
767:)
683:.
633:.
590:,
493:.
447:.
1069:e
1062:t
1055:v
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811:.
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731:(
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610:(
533:(
318:(
314:/
311:i
308:d
305:æ
302:k
299:ˈ
296:i
293:d
290:æ
287:k
284:ˈ
281:ə
278:m
275:/
130:)
124:(
119:)
115:(
105:·
98:·
91:·
84:·
57:.
34:.
20:)
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