The Okavango Delta is one of the world's largest inland water systems, the only inland delta of its kind and a unique oasis of life in the centre of the Kalahari Desert. It stretches over 16,000 square km and supports a staggering variety of animal, plant, fish and birdlife.
The water was once thought to have reached the sea, but this is no longer the case. After a series of tectonic uplifts and earthquakes running along geological fault lines, the land at the edge of the Delta now lies lower than that of the surrounding area. Hence the water very rarely flows further South than Maun.
Once the rains begin, around November, the floodwater begins its 250km journey downstream from the Angolan highlands towards Maun. Because of the gentle slope of the Okavango Delta floor (1: 36,000) the floods take approximately six months to travel to their eventual destination.
The hottest month is October with mean maximum temperatures of 35C. The coldest months are June and July with a mean minimum of 60C. The rains usually fall between November and April with the heaviest downpours occurring in January and February.
The Okavango Delta consists of a multitude of main channels, smaller tributaries and lagoons as well as floodplains, islands and mainland areas. The watercourses are constantly changing due to annual flooding as well as a combination of sediment transport, seismic activity, the construction of termite mounds, and the continual opening up of new channels by feeding hippopotami and the closing of others by new vegetation growth. There are two fairly distinct areas of the Okavango Delta - the permanent swamp, which is inundated with water all year round, and the seasonal swamp, which is flooded annually and dries gradually with the onset of summer.
The vegetation of the permanent swamp includes groves of wild date palm, swathes of papyrus, islands fringed with forest and lagoons covered with floating water lillies.
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