Namib Sand Sea – Namibia - Atlas Obscura
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Namib Sand Sea

Namibia

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

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Namib Sand Sea Buiobuione/CC BY-SA 4.0
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
User submitted
User submitted
Erwin T. (Creative Commons)
Teo Gomez (Public Domain)
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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. 

dunes deserts natural wonders nature
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