Editing Namib (section)

== Geography and geology ==
[[File:Namib desert and ocean.JPG|thumb|left|Namib desert and ocean]]
[[File:Sossusvlei.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sossusvlei]], one of Namib's major tourist attractions, is a [[salt pan (geology)|salt]] and [[Dry lake|clay pan]] surrounded by large dunes. The flats pictured here were caused by the [[Tsauchab]] stream after summer rains]]
[[File:Oceanic fog sossusvlei4.jpg|thumb|Thick morning fog rolls in from the ocean, near [[Sossusvlei]]; moisture from the fog allows the native flora to survive the aridity]]
The Namib Desert is one of the 500 distinct [[Physical Geography|physiographic]] provinces of the South African [[Platform (geology)|Platform]] physiographic division. It occupies an area of around {{convert|80,950|km2|sqmi}},<ref>{{NatGeo ecoregion|id=at1315|name=Namib desert}}</ref> stretching from the [[Uniab River]] (north) to the town of [[Lüderitz]] (south) and from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] (west) to the Namib Escarpment (east). It is about {{convert|1,000|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} long from north to south and its east–west width varies from {{convert|30|to|100|mi|km|abbr=off|-1|order=flip}}. To the north, the desert leads into the [[Kaokoveld]]; the dividing line between these two regions is roughly at the [[latitude]] of the city of [[Walvis Bay]], and it consists in a narrow strip of land (about 50&nbsp;km wide) that is the driest place in Southern Africa. To the south, the Namib borders the [[South Africa]]n [[Karoo]] semi-desert.

Southern Namib (between Lüderitz and the [[Kuiseb]] River) comprises a vast dune sea with some of the tallest and most spectacular dunes in the world, ranging in color from pink to vivid orange. In the Sossusvlei area, several dunes exceed {{convert|300|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=off|sp=us}} in height. The complexity and regularity of dune patterns in its [[dune sea]] have attracted the attention of [[geologist]]s for decades, but it remains poorly understood.

The source of the unconsolidated sand (the most recent sand sea) is dominantly from the Orange River, which drains into the Atlantic south of the Namib Sand Sea, with minor contributions in the east from the (now ephemeral) rivers that drain into the sand sea.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Garzanti|first1=Eduardo|last2=Andò|first2=Sergio|last3=Vezzoli|first3=Giovanni|last4=Lustrino|first4=Michele|last5=Boni|first5=Maria|last6=Vermeesch|first6=Pieter|date=2012|title=Petrology of the Namib Sand Sea: Long-distance transport and compositional variability in the wind-displaced Orange Delta|journal=Earth-Science Reviews| language=en| volume=112| issue=3–4| pages=173–189| doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.02.008|bibcode=2012ESRv..112..173G }}</ref> For this reason, the Namib Sand Sea has been referred to as the "wind displaced delta of the Orange River."<ref name=":0" />

Moving north from Sossusvlei, the sand gradually gives way to a rocky desert that extends from Sossusvlei to the [[Swakop]] river. This area is traversed by the [[Tropic of Capricorn]] and is mostly flat, although some scenic canyons and elevations are found in some areas, for example in the Moon Valley system. While most of the soil is rocky, sand dunes are still occasionally found in this region; for example, sand dunes occupy much of the coastline between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

The Namib desert is an important location for the mining of [[tungsten]], [[salt]], and [[Diamond|diamonds]].

Several rivers and streams run through the Namib, although all of the rivers south of the [[Cunene River]] and north of the [[Orange River]] are [[ephemeral]] and rarely or never reach the ocean.<ref name="Goudie" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stone|first1=A. E. C.|last2=Thomas|first2=D. S. G.|date=2013-06-01|title=Casting new light on late Quaternary environmental and palaeohydrological change in the Namib Desert: A review of the application of optically stimulated luminescence in the region|journal=Journal of Arid Environments|series=Deserts of the World: Namib Desert: 50 years of research in a hyperarid desert|volume=93|pages=40–58|doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2012.01.009|bibcode=2013JArEn..93...40S |issn=0140-1963}}</ref> These rivers arise in the interior mountains of Namibia and flow after summer rain storms.<ref name="Goudie" />