Experts believe that the Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world with its formation beginning around 55-80 million years. It occurs naturally along the Atlantic coast of the continent of Africa, where its formation is present in three countries including Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Despite the Namib Desert's severe climate conditions and extreme temperatures which fluctuate considerably between night and daytime, an abundance of wildlife and plants can still be found living within its biome.

Factsmania provides printable fact sheets with the most interesting facts about the Namib Desert for kids with important information about its huge sand dunes, ecosystem of animals, birds and plants, its rainfall and general weather conditions, history and formation, size, age and location facts.

Interesting Namib Desert Facts for Kids:- Our facts sheet about the Namib Desert can be printed for free and offers interesting information for kids and school teachers, ideal for homework help or as an information guide to the world's eldest desert. Did you know that the formation of the Namib Desert began millions of years ago? Did you know that many species of plant life and animals live in the Namib Desert biome? Did you know that 'desertification' can be described as the process by which fertile land becomes desert? Did you know that the Namib Desert sand dunes are the second biggest on Earth?

Interesting Namib Desert Facts for Kids:- Our free list of Fun Namib Desert Biome Facts for Kids is easy to print out and includes interesting facts about the Namib Desert such as how the biome formed, why it is important, why the Namib Desert is categorized as a biome, how big the Namib Desert is, how many African countries the Namib Desert is located in, what the weather is like in the Namib, how hot and how cold the Namib Desert temperatures reach, what type of plants grow in the Namib Desert and which species of wildlife manage to survive its hot and freezing temperatures, distinct lack of vegetation and water sources?

Interesting Namib Desert Facts for Kids

Namib Desert Fact File for Kids:- Official Name Facts: The name 'Namib' derives from the Nama language, a word which implies 'a vast area where there is nothing' ***Daytime High: 50 degrees Celsius *** Night time Low: 0 degrees Celsius *** Location: Angola, Namibia and South Africa *** Climate and Weather Facts: Extreme climate conditions and fluctuating temperatures *** Annual Rainfall Facts: Western Namib Desert 5mm , Eastern Namib Desert 85mm precipitation ***

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- Where is the Namib Desert located?
The Namib Desert is located on the Atlantic coast of the African Continent. It stretches across the coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Its southern border is very close to another renowned desert biome, the Kalahari Desert.

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- What is the temperature in the Namib Desert?
The temperature of the Namib Desert is constant during seasons but it varies significantly during day and night. During daytime hours, temperatures can be expected to reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius, whereas during the night, temperatures can fall to as low as 0 degree Celsius. Another variable which influences the temperature is the biome's proximity to the Atlantic Coast. Temperatures across the coast are stable and typically range from 9 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius. Inner temperatures tend to increase, and may reach, as mentioned above, 50 degrees Celsius during daytime hours.

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the climate of the Namib Desert?
The climate of the Namib Desert can be described as arid and dry for most of the time. The aridity comes from the descent of dry air coming from the Hadley Cell and the cold Benguella current that runs along the coast. Wind is another factor that influences the Namib Desert climate. Winds coming from the Indian Ocean lose part of their humidity when reaching the Drakensberg mountains, and winds coming from the Atlantic Ocean are rich in humidity and turn into clouds and fog as they are in contact with the hot air from the east.

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- Namib Desert Rainfall / Precipitation Facts
The Namib Desert is one of the hottest deserts on Earth. Rainfall is very rare with the biome receiving less than 10mm (0.39 in) of annual precipitation. Rain is also very hard to predict. There’s a significant difference between precipitation in western parts of the Namib Desert compared to its eastern regions. Western Namib receives only 5mm of precipitation, whereas Eastern Namib receives around 85mm.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- How big is the Namib Desert?
The Namib Desert covers an area of approximately 81,000 square kilometres (31,274 square miles) and occurs throughout 3 countries in Africa, including Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It stretches across the Atlantic Coast from the Carunjamba River in Angola to the Olifantis River in South Africa’s Western Cape.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- What animals live in the Namib Desert?
The Namib Desert is home to many species of animals including antelopes (oryxes and springboks), ostriches, lions, desert elephants, rodents, reptiles. The biome is also home to darkling beetles species, highly adapted to the harsh condition of the Namib Desert and its extreme climate. Some of these insects, known as “the fog beetles” take advantage of the morning humidity. They create dew drops which roll down the beetle’s back into its mouth, keeping it hydrated. Other types of beetle, such as the black-backed jackals, keep themselves hydrated by licking humidity from stones.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:-  How do Namib Desert animals survive?
Animals living in the Namib Desert have to make many adaptations in order to survive the biome's harsh environment and severe lack of water. As water is is scarcely found in the Namib Desert, some animals are able to survive by preserving water in different parts of the body, and some species can last for days without any water at all. Wildlife have to deal with the sand’s high temperature which can cause much discomfort to them. Many species have adopted ways of dealing with this. Snakes, for example, have a special way of moving which enables them to touch the sand as little as possible.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:-  Namib Desert food chain facts
The Namib Desert food web is not very complicated. At the top of the food chain are the big felidae (cats) which are excellent predators, and large mammals such as elephants, which are herbivores. Reptiles feed on other reptiles, arachnids and insects. There are also reptiles that eat vegetation for their water supplies.

Interesting Facts for Kids 9:- Namib Desert Beetle Facts
The Namib Desert Beetle (Stenocara gracilipes) survives the harsh conditions of the Namib Desert as it has a unique way of sourcing water. In the morning, the beetle climbs on a small pile of sand, facing into the breeze. Then, it positions its body at a 45 degree angle. By doing so, the beetle catches fog droplets with its wings. The beetle's hardened wings contain a hydrophilic substance which hardens water in contact with the wings and prevents the water from being blown away by the wind. Another benefit is that the water on the wings captures more fog droplets. This process continues until the droplet has a 5 mm diameter, and in which case starts to move forward towards the beetle's mouth. This remarkable insect can also use the water from dew to keep themselves hydrated.

Interesting Facts for Kids 10:- Namib Desert Elephants Facts
Even though they can be found in the Damaraland region, these 'desert elephants' travel a lot. Their biggest advantage is the fact that they can survive for days without drinking water. They hydrate only from the moisture contained in the vegetation that they consume. Even though they are the same species as African elephants, the Namib Desert Elephants are slightly different as they have bigger feet which enable them to walk easier on the sand. They also travel in smaller packs due to fewer available food resources.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11:- Namib Desert Geccko Facts
The Pachydactylus Rangei or the Namib Desert Geko is a small lizard that lives in Angola and Namibia. It grows to about 13cm long, with around 6cm accounting for its tail. This Gecko has a very pale color, close to salmon color. It is translucent, so most of its organs are visible. As part of the adaptation process, the Namib Desert Geko has developed webbed feet which play two very important functions. Firstly, its webbed feed help the Gecko to move across the hot sand of the Namib Desert, and secondly, they improve the Gecko's capacity to burrow. The adhesive pads on the back of their feet help the Gecko to climb many types of surfaces. They have oversized eyes which allow them to spot their prey. Namib Desert Geckos do not have eyelids, but a transparent pellicle. They clean their eyes by licking. At night, they hunt for insects, crickets, and beetles. They survive the harsh climate of the Namib Desert by absorbing water through their skin and also by drinking the dew from vegetables.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:-  What plants grow in the Namib Desert?
Many species of plant life can be found growing in the Namib Desert including trees, shrubs, cacti, herbs and grasses. Some of the most popular Namib Desert plant names include the bizarre Welwitschia mirabilis, a plant that grows two strap-shaped leaves of several meters long. Another iconic plant is the Nara Melons. This is a yellow fruit with a diameter of approximately 15cm. Its roots dig up to 40m in the sand in order to find water. Camel thorn trees are also special trees found growing in the Namib Desert. They are designed to endure the freezing night time temperatures and the dry hot air during the day (with roots that go as far as 60m in the ground to get water).

Interesting Facts for Kids 13:- Namib Desert plant adaptations
The plants of the Namib Desert have to adapt to its harsh climate, fluctuating temperatures and nutritionally poor soils. Most of the plants are robust and have strong roots that dig deep in search of water. Some plants preserve big deposits of water, allowing their leaves, trunks and roots to absorb water during the rainy season. Some types of plants found growing in the Namib Desert can avoid being eaten by animals as they are able to camouflage themselves, for example, plants such as lithops look like stones.

Interesting Facts for Kids 14:- Namib Desert landscape and vegetation facts
The formation of the Namib Desert consists mainly of sand seas on the coast, and gravel plains and scattered mountain outcrops inland. The Namib Desert’s sand dunes are the second largest in the world, with some sand dunes measuring 330 meter high and 32 kilometres long. The world's biggest sand dunes are found in the Badain Jaran Desert dunes in China. The large amount of sand makes it difficult for vegetation to thrive but not impossible, as nature has its own ways of surviving the Namib Desert.

Interesting Facts for Kids 15:-  Namib Desert unusual facts
The Namib Desert is considered to be the oldest desert, with a history dating back some 55-80 million years. The Namib Desert is not generally inhabited by humans although some small groups of people such as Ovahimba, Obatijmba Herero and Topnaar Nama can be found.

Interesting Facts for Kids 16:-  Namib Desert Skeleton Coast Shipwrecks
With its history spanning over 55-80 million years, many deaths have occurred along the coast of the Namib Desert caused largely by the Namib fog. Many sailors have lost their lives trying to navigate their way through the fog. Numerous shipwrecks have been discovered along the Namib Desert coast in an area which has become known as the Skeleton Coast.

Interesting Namib Desert Facts for Kids

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