Kalahari Desert Facts for Kids

The Kalahari Desert is the sixth biggest desert in the world. It located in Southern Africa where it has a presence in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Despite being called a desert, the Kalahari is in fact officially classed as a Savannah as it retains water better than regular desert sand. The desert's name derives from the local Tsangna word 'Kalahari' which means waterless. The Kalahari Desert ecosystem supports many species of plants and animals, and harbors one of the biggest wildlife reserves in the world.

Factsmania has compiled printable fact sheets covering the most important information about the Kalahari Desert of Africa especially for kids. Our key facts include information about the Kalahari Desert ecosystem, animals, birds, plants, climate, temperature, precipitation, temperature, vegetation, history, age, formation, sand dunes, size and its location on the African continent.

Interesting Kalahari Desert Facts for Kids:- Our printable Kalahari Desert fact sheet offers the most interesting facts for school kids and teachers. Our list of fun facts on the Kalahari Desert is ideal for homework help or as an information guide to the 6th biggest desert on Earth. Did you know that the Kalahari Desert formed millions of years ago along with the continent of Africa? Did you know that the Kalahari Desert supports an ecosystem of plants and animals? Did you know that the term 'desertification' can be defined as the process by which fertile land becomes desert? Did you know that the Kalahari Desert is home to the one of the world's biggest wildlife reserves - The Central Kalahari Game Reserve?

Interesting Kalahari Desert Facts for Kids:- Our free list of Interesting Facts about the Kalahari Desert Biome for Kids is easy to print and features fun facts about the Kalahari Desert such as how old it is, how it formed, why the Kalahari Desert is an important biome and ecosystem, why the Kalahari Desert is officially classed as a savannah, how big the Desert landscape is, how big the sand dunes are, which countries the Kalahari Desert is located in, what the climate is like, what the temperature is like in the Kalahari Desert, which type of plants and vegetation grow in the Kalahari Desert and what animal species survive its high temperatures and arid conditions?

Interesting Kalahari Desert Facts for Kids

Kalahari Desert Fact File for Kids:- Name Facts: The name Kalahari is derived from the local Tsangna word Kalahari which means waterless *** Location: Continent of Africa in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa *** Classification: Savannah *** Annual Rainfall: 100mm of rainfall *** Name of Kalahari Desert River: Okavango (Kavango River) *** Kalahari Desert Size: 900,000 square kilometers (359,075 square miles)

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- Where is the Kalahari Desert located?
The Kalahari Desert is a semi-arid desert located in Africa covering almost 900,000 square kilometers across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa (South Africa is a country located in Southern Africa on the southernmost tip of the continent).

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- What is the temperature in the Kalahari Desert?
The temperature and climatic conditions vary depending on factors such as time of year, location, altitude etc. The temperature of the Kalahari Desert varies from hot temperatures in summer to winter frosts from June to August. There are only two seasons; summer and winter. The temperature can climb to 45 degrees in summers and 22 degrees in winter. During the coldest months, the temperature can fall as low as -7 degrees during the night time.

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the climate of the Kalahari Desert?
The atmosphere of the Kalahari Desert is subtropical i.e. hot during summers and cold during winters. The altitude of the Kalahari ranges from 800 to 1,200 meters, making the climate subtropical. The environment of the Kalahari Desert differs from region to region. The hot summer season can be experienced from October to April. Rain can be expected at the end of November. Low humidity and high temperatures are typical features of the summer season. During December, the temperature can reach 38 degrees in the day. However, a pleasant breeze is often present making the climate conditions far more comfortable. Rain falls in the form of storms, breaking the harsh heat and being accompanied by strong winds. These storms typically occur during December and are followed by dust storms. During winter, between May and October,the temperature is quite warm during the day and cold during the night. Dry seasons can last for about eight months or so. On average, over 4,000 hours of sunshine is recorded in the Kalahari Desert in a year.

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- Kalahari Desert Rainfall
The Kalahari Desert receives around 100mm of rainfall. In some years, the recorded rainfall has been around 50mm. In the southwest, the rainfall is around 5.9 inches and 13.8 inches in the northeast. During December, rainfall can be expected as the thunderstorm activity reaches the Kalahari region accompanied by high winds. Precipitation can be expected between October and April. The first rainfall during October and November clears the haze of the sky. The maximum rainfall can be experienced between January and February.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- How big is the Kalahari Desert?
The Kalahari Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, it is in fact the world's sixth largest desert. The Kalahari Desert covers an area of approximately 900,000 square kilometers (359,075 square miles) and occurs throughout numerous countries in Africa including Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It has many interesting areas located within its boundaries such as the Central Kalahari Game reserve which is one of the largest wildlife reserves in the world.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- What animals live in the Kalahari Desert?
The Kalahari Desert is home to many species of animals, including mammals, arachnids, insects, reptiles and birds. The names of animals found in the Kalahari Desert are predators like Katanha Lion, lion, cheetah, African Leopard, hyena, wild dog. Other animals include Giant Eagle Owls, antelopes, porcupines, Martial Eagle, falcons, flamingos, elephant, meerkat, and giraffe.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:-  How do Kalahari Desert animals survive?
Animals living in the Kalahari Desert have to make many adaptations in order to survive the arid climate. They have to adopt water retention mechanisms to survive mostly. The most ideal desert plants have small surface areas and thick, bulbous root. The trees do not typically grow above shrub size to prevent exposure to the sun. Some of the plants produce fruits which provide melon like fruits. Many animals living in Kalahari live on these fruits. The herbivorous animals can obtain water from the plants they eat and the carnivorous animals can get the water from the bodies of their prey.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:- Kalahari Desert food chain facts
The Kalahari Desert food chain is typical of other desert food chains. Most of the time, desert food webs consist of 3 to 4 links. These are producers, consumers and predators. Predators are always placed at the top of the food chain. If we form a pyramid of the Kalahari Desert food web, the producers lie at the bottom while territory consumers are at the top. The Kalahari Desert food web consists of the producer’s, i.e. plants which produce fruit for the herbivores. The carnivorous animals, such as lions, feed on the herbivorous animals.

Interesting Facts for Kids 10:-  What plants grow in the Kalahari Desert?
Many species of plant life can be found growing in the Kalahari Desert including trees, shrubs, cacti, herbs and grasses. Some of the most traditional Kalahari Desert plants include Cactus species like Hoodia cactus, camel thorn and black thorn (both species of Acacia). The Shepherd’s Tree is commonly found growing in the Kalahari Desert, as is the Horned Melon Tree which belongs to the cucumber and melon family. The Tsamma Melon is a popular fruit produced in this region of Africa, it is also known as the Kalahari Melon.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11:- Kalahari Desert plant adaptations and facts
As the weather conditions across the Kalahari Desert are particularly arid, vegetation is limited. The plants of the Kalahari Desert have to adapt to its harsh climate and nutritionally poor soils. Tsamma melon is a plant which has high water content; leaves are lobed and abrasive. The Horned Melon tree is very famous for kiwano which looks like a melon. It thrives in warm climates, and a single plant can produce several fruits. Vegetation is very important to the Kalahari Desert Biome as it forms part of the food chain - many animals feed on plants and rely the vegetation for survival.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:- Acacia Trees in the Kalahari Desert
Acacia Trees are very common in the Kalahari Desert. The Camel Thorn Tree belongs to Acacia family and can grow as high as 17 meters. It is favored by Giraffes as they are the tallest of the animal kingdom and can easily reach the fleshy leaves of camel thorn. Acacia Trees consists of sharp thorns which prevent animals from overgrazing. Birds such as weaver birds can build nests in this particular type of tree. The Acacia Tree also bears seeds which can be used to feed livestock or as a substitute for coffee beans. The Acacia Tree is also used commercially for firewood, constructing houses, etc. It is also strong and resistant to droughts.

Interesting Facts for Kids 13:-  Is the Kalahari Desert a true desert?
The Kalahari Desert is officially classed as a Savannah because Kalahari retains water better than regular desert sand. During rainfall, the desert converts to a lush green area with plants and fruits. It is not a real desert because the climate and vegetation can support many plants and animals. It is considered a semi-desert because of these unique features and characteristics.

Interesting Facts for Kids 14:- Kalahari Desert landscape and vegetation facts
The overall formation of the Kalahari Desert consists mainly of pans with hard, gray clays. These pans can provide salt for the fauna of the Kalahari. Its structure is mostly arid and semi-arid. but it also consists of rich savanna and grasslands. Historically, the Kalahari Desert landscape was once a wet place. Reportedly, Lake Makgadikgadi was once located in the Kalahari Desert. It vanished around 10,000 years ago.

Interesting Facts for Kids 15:-  The Okavango River
The name of the permanent river flowing through the Kalahari Desert is Okavango, it is also known as the Kavango River. It's the 4th longest river of Southern Africa and runs for approximately 1,600km southeastward. The river system begins in central Angola, it reaches the Kalahari Desert in northern Botswani where it empties into a very large swamp called the Okavango Delta. The swamp is also known as the Okavango Grassland.

Interesting Kalahari Desert Facts for Kids