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The Namib Desert, Namibia
The oldest desert on earth. One of the most inhospitable places imaginable.
- At 55 million years old, the Namib Desert is the oldest desert on Earth.
- Homo sapiens have only been on Earth for 200,000 years and the Sahara is only 6000 years old.
- With just 8mm of rain a year, Pelican Point, on our route, is one of the driest places on earth. The UK had an average of 1086mm in 2013.
- Namibia itself is over three times the size of the UK, yet has a population 30 times smaller than ours 鈥� just two million.
- Home to some of the tallest sand dunes on Earth at over 1,000 feet high and 20 miles long.
- Despite its dryness, some areas of the desert experience up to 120 days of fog every year.
- Incredibly the desert is home to almost 3,500 species of plant, some believed to be over 1000 yrs old.
- Namibia is home to the Himba people. As few as 20,000 of them live on the edge of human existence.
- Namibia is one of the youngest Commonwealth nations - joining in 1990.
Anita Rani climbs one of the world鈥檚 largest sand dunes
At 55 million years old, the Namib desert is the oldest in the world.
The sun setting over Namibia's treacherous Skeleton Coast
Anita Rani in the Namib Desert
A mother and baby of the Himba people
