Mondo Knows Facts
The Namib Desert is considered the oldest desert on Earth
Arid conditions have persisted in the Namib Desert along southwestern Africa coast for over 55 million years.
The Namib stretches for over 2,000 kilometres along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa. Cold ocean currents off the coast create dense coastal fogs that supply moisture to specialized desert wildlife. Its towering iron-rich sand dunes are among the highest in the world, displaying bright terracotta hues.
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Tags: namib, namibia, deserts, africa
The Namib Desert is considered the oldest desert on Earth: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Arid conditions have persisted in the Namib Desert along southwestern Africa coast for over 55 million years. The figure is taken from UNESCO World Heritage Centre, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a world geography fact?
- Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.