"area is off-limits to all vehicles. The list of tourist attractions in the park includes a shipwreck at the South West Seal viewpoint, Huab lagoon and the collapsed oil drilling rig. This park is to be included in the Iona - Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area. <br><br><br> Skeleton Coast National Park Skeleton Coast National Park is a national park located in northwest Namibia, and has the most inaccessible shores, dotted with shipwrecks. The park was established in 1971 and has a size of . The park is divided into a northern and southern section, the southern section is open to"
"Skeleton Coast The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region ""The Land God Made in Anger"", while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as ""The Gates of Hell"". The name Skeleton Coast was coined by John Henry Marsh as the title for the book he wrote chronicling the shipwreck of the . Since the book was first published in 1944,"
"the north-east. The west coast is regularly frequented by a thick fog bank rolling in from the cold ocean, a phenomenon locally known as the ""Malmokkie"". Port Nolloth is located in the southern part of the Namib desert and on average receives about of precipitation per year. The bay upon which the port sits was known by the indigenous Namaqua people as ""Aukwatowa"" (""Where the water took away the old man""). Its location was marked by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias on his epic voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. It was the last landfall he sighted before"
"parts of the Skeleton Coast. Namibia has declared the Skeleton Coast National Park over much of the area, from the Ugab River to the Kunene. The northern half of the park is a designated wilderness area. Notable features are the clay castles of the Hoarisib, the Agate Mountain salt pans and the large seal colony at Cape Fria. The remainder of the coast is the National West Coast Recreation Area. The coast has been the subject of a number of wildlife documentaries, particularly concerning adaptations to extreme aridity. There is a 1965 National Geographic documentary ""Survivors Of The Skeleton Coast""."
"the cold, wet air of the Benguela up-welling meets the hot, dry air of the desert. The strong fogs and currents have led to numerous shipwrecks through history. The coast is sometimes called Skeleton Coast after the bones of whales and seals that were seen on the beaches by sailors. The area is classified as a Hot Desert Climate, KWh in the Köppen climate classification. The park is contiguous with the Skeleton Coast Park in Namibia, which is itself contiguous with the Namib-Naukluft National Park so that all three protected areas form a continuous block covering some 1,200 km of"
"Walvis Bay Walvis Bay (Afrikaans: ""Walvisbaai"", German: ""Walfischbucht"" or ""Walfischbai"", all meaning ""Whale Bay"") is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. The town covers a total area of of land. The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of southern right whales, attracting whalers and fishing vessels. The Dutch referred to it as"
"Namib The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name ""Namib"" is of Nama origin and means ""vast place"". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa. The Namib's northernmost portion, which extends from the Angola-Namibia border, is known as Moçâmedes Desert, while its southern portion approaches the neighboring Kalahari Desert. From the Atlantic coast eastward, the Namib gradually ascends in elevation, reaching up to"
"the shipwrecks caught by offshore rocks and fog. More than a thousand such vessels of various sizes litter the coast, notably the ""Eduard Bohlen"", ""Benguela Eagle"", ""Otavi"", ""Dunedin Star"" and ""Tong Taw"". On Thursday, 22 March 2018, a Japanese registered fishing vessel, MVF ""Fukuseki Maru"", got into trouble and ran aground near Durissa bay, South of the Ugab river mouth, about 200 km from Walvis Bay, lying 2 km from the Skeleton Coast beach. All 24 foreign crew members have been rescued by Namibian authorities. Past human occupation by Strandlopers is shown by shell middens of white mussels found along"
"found in the Sperrgebiet. Under Namibian law, the Namibian government is entitled to all the items found on board. Today, there are several ghost towns in the Sperrgebiet, built in the late 19th century, the best known of these being Kolmanskop and others including Pomona and Elizabeth Bay. The wind has partially excavated a number of half-mummified bodies at a graveyard outside one of these ghost towns. Sperrgebiet The Sperrgebiet (German, meaning ""Prohibited Area"") (also known as Diamond Area 1) is a diamond mining area in southwestern Namibia, in the Namib Desert. It spans the Atlantic Ocean-facing coast from Oranjemund"
"was a complete wreck by early September. Conception Bay (Namibia) Conception Bay (, ) is a bay on the coast of Namibia, Africa. The bay is exposed, not providing a useful anchorage. Conception Bay opens to the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest. There is a lagoon at the southern edge of its shoreline. The bay is located in a desolate area. It is part of one of the coastal stretches of Namibia where diamonds are found. On 30 July 1926 the ""SS Cawdor Castle"", a cargo ship under the flag of the United Kingdom, ran aground in Conception Bay. She"
"the islands, as well as Walvis Bay, was transferred to Namibia. Penguin Islands The Penguin Islands (, ) are a historical group of mostly scattered islands and rocks situated along a stretch of along the coastline of Namibia. Not forming a geographic whole, the Namibian government formally lists them as the ""Off-Shore islands"". Their name comes from the presence of African penguins which inhabit the coastal region surrounding Namibia and South Africa. The islands are scattered over a long coastal region. Although a few of them form small clusters or groups, such as the islands in Lüderitz Bay, the Penguin"
"Sandwich Harbour Sandwich Harbour (), also known as Sandwich Bay, Sandvishawe, Sandvisbaai and Sandfisch Bai is an area on the Atlantic coast of Namibia that includes a bay in the north and a lagoon at the southern end. Formerly the bay was a moderately-sized commercial port based around whaling and small-scale fishing, but it is now best known for its birdlife in the lagoon to the south of the bay. Lying about 80 km south of Walvis Bay, the area is located in the Region of Erongo. The bay opens to the north and is about 4.2 km long and"
"two main sites in Namibia (the other is in Lüderitz) where seals are culled, partly for selling their hides and partly for protecting the fish stock. The economic impact of seals on the fish resources is controversial: While a government-initiated study found that seal colonies consume more fish than the entire fishing industry can catch, animal protection society Seal Alert South Africa estimated less than 0.3% losses to commercial fisheries. Cape Cross Cape Cross (Afrikaans: ""Kaap Kruis""; German: ""Kreuzkap""; Portuguese: ""Cabo da Cruz"") is a small headland in the South Atlantic in Skeleton Coast, western Namibia, on the C34 highway"
"The Outer Banks are known as the ""Graveyard of the Atlantic"" because numerous ships have been wrecked along their beaches and shoals due to storms and strong tides. The Coastal Plain is host to three capes: Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear. Despite the fact that North Carolina has hundreds of miles of beachfront territory, due to the Outer Banks and swampland along the coast the state lacks a good natural harbor. As such North Carolina never developed a major port city as did neighboring states such as Georgia (Savannah), South Carolina (Charleston), and Virginia (Norfolk). Wilmington, located up"
"Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname of treacherous waters and location of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This location has numerous shoals and frequent rough seas. Another area off Nova Scotia is also known (to a much lesser degree) as the resting place of many shipwrecks. This is due to frequent thick fog which increases danger, especially near Sable Island. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, located in Hatteras Village, focuses on the history of this area and features many artifacts recovered from area shipwrecks. Along the Outer Banks, navigational challenges"
"within the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The fauna was surveyed by the South African Museum and the National Museum of Namibia. It was found that the fauna was totally marine. Sandwich Harbour Sandwich Harbour (), also known as Sandwich Bay, Sandvishawe, Sandvisbaai and Sandfisch Bai is an area on the Atlantic coast of Namibia that includes a bay in the north and a lagoon at the southern end. Formerly the bay was a moderately-sized commercial port based around whaling and small-scale fishing, but it is now best known for its birdlife in the lagoon to the south of the bay. Lying"
"Lüderitz Lüderitz is a harbour town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. The town is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work, and for wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. It is also home to a museum, and lies at the end of a decommissioned railway line to Keetmanshoop. The bay on which Lüderitz is situated was first known to Europeans when Bartolomeu Dias encountered it in 1487. He named the bay ""Angra Pequena"""
"a thousand wrecks litter the Skeleton Coast—it is a vital source of moisture for desert life. The Namib is almost completely uninhabited by humans except for several small settlements and indigenous pastoral groups, including the Ovahimba and Obatjimba Herero in the north, and the Topnaar Nama in the central region. Owing to its antiquity, the Namib may be home to more endemic species than any other desert in the world. Most of the desert wildlife is arthropods and other small animals that live on little water, although larger animals inhabit the northern regions. Near the coast, the cold ocean water"
"Conception Bay (Namibia) Conception Bay (, ) is a bay on the coast of Namibia, Africa. The bay is exposed, not providing a useful anchorage. Conception Bay opens to the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest. There is a lagoon at the southern edge of its shoreline. The bay is located in a desolate area. It is part of one of the coastal stretches of Namibia where diamonds are found. On 30 July 1926 the ""SS Cawdor Castle"", a cargo ship under the flag of the United Kingdom, ran aground in Conception Bay. She broke up over the following weeks and"
"Penguin Islands The Penguin Islands (, ) are a historical group of mostly scattered islands and rocks situated along a stretch of along the coastline of Namibia. Not forming a geographic whole, the Namibian government formally lists them as the ""Off-Shore islands"". Their name comes from the presence of African penguins which inhabit the coastal region surrounding Namibia and South Africa. The islands are scattered over a long coastal region. Although a few of them form small clusters or groups, such as the islands in Lüderitz Bay, the Penguin Islands lack the mutual proximity of a natural archipelago or island"
"1920 onwards, diamond mining was only conducted further south of town in places like Pomona and Elizabeth Bay. This development consequently led to the loss of Lüderitz' importance as a trading place. Only small fishing enterprises, minimal dock activity and a few carpet weavers remained. In an effort to remove colonial names from the maps of Namibia, in 2013 the Namibian government renamed the constituency ǃNamiǂNûs, its name prior to 1884. The harbour has a very shallow rock bottom, making it unusable for modern ships; this led to Walvis Bay becoming the centre of the Namibian shipping industry. Recently, however,"
"houses knee-deep in sand. Kolmanskop is popular with photographers for its settings of the desert sands' reclaiming this once-thriving town, and the arid climate preserving the traditional Edwardian architecture in the area. Due to its location within the restricted area (""Sperrgebiet"") of the Namib desert, tourists need a permit to enter the town. Kolmanskop Kolmanskop (Afrikaans for ""Coleman's head"", ) is a ghost town in the Namib in southern Namibia, 10 kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during a sand storm, abandoned his ox wagon on a"
"""Great Namaqualand"" is in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. Great Namaqualand is sparsely populated by the Namaqua, a Khoikhoi people who traditionally inhabited the Namaqualand region. The area’s landscape ranges from an unexploited coastal strip in the west to semidesert areas in the north-east. Famed for its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, its wild flowers during spring, its wealth of minerals and cultural history, Namaqualand is a popular region for international and local tourists. The Namakwa coastline and the banks of the Orange River are popular for their hiking and 4x4 trails and routes. The beginning of the flower season"
"currents. It causes sailors to lose their way; this is testified by the remnants of a number of shipwrecks that can be found along the Skeleton Coast, in northern Namib. Some of these wrecked ships can be found as much as inland, as the desert slowly moves westwards into the sea, reclaiming land over a period of many years. Benguela's El Niño (similar to the Pacific event in its environmental change in the seas) spreads from the Kunene estuary southward to, on occasion, south of Luderitz. Warm waters with depth and associated water flows from the northwest were first fully"
"Both of these landscapes lend themselves towards some of the most unusual sight-seeing opportunities in Namibia. The lagoon and harbour is home to various species and large numbers of sea mammals and bird life. The Namib desert on the other side is called ""The Living Desert"", because of the large number of living species found there. Walvis Bay is one of many tourism activity centers of Namibia. Activities include various water-related actions, like shore angling, boat angling, shark angling, sight seeing and photographic boat cruises, sea kayaking and wind- and kite surfing. Walvis Bay yearly houses one of the international"
"derived from the Namib Desert, considered to be the oldest desert in the world. The name, ""Namib"" itself, is of Nama origin and means ""vast place"". Before its independence in 1990, the area was known first as German South-West Africa (""Deutsch-Südwestafrika""), then as South-West Africa, reflecting the colonial occupation by the Germans and the South Africans (technically on behalf of the British crown reflecting South Africa's dominion status within the British Empire). The dry lands of Namibia have been inhabited since early times by San, Damara, and Nama. Around the 14th century, immigrating Bantu people began to arrive during the"
"including the endemic Cinderella waxbill (""Estrilda thomensis"") on the Kunene River. Skeleton Coast National Park runs for 500 km along the coast of Namibia and is the main protected area in the region, along with other smaller conservancies inland. Much of the area was formerly protected under Game Reserve 2, which was reduced in size to become Etosha National Park in 1967, with a subsequent increase in poaching and more recently uncontrolled off-road driving. There is an area of sand dunes in Iona National Park in Angola. Kaokoveld The Kaokoveld Desert is a coastal desert of northern Namibia and southern"
"Wave-crasher Wave-crashers, or “Mbeukk-mi” in Woloff, are long wooden boats painted in bright blue or yellow. They are constructed in West Africa, more precisely along the Senegalese shoreline (and perhaps Gambia, and some other countries too). In Gambia they are used as unofficial ferry boats between the capital Banjul and Barra, on the other side of the Gambia river. These boats do not use a quay to moor, instead the passengers are carried from the beach to the boat on the shoulders of strong man. It has been reported that in Senegal, they are used to ferry large numbers of"
"Cape Fria Cape Fria (literally ""cold cape"") is a headland overlooking the South Atlantic Ocean situated along the northern shoreline of Namibia, about 120 km (75 mi) to the northwest of Mowe Bay and 200 km to the south of the Angolan border. It is located in Skeleton Coast National Park. Due to its remoteness, it is accessible only by air. Cape Fria was discovered, along with Cape Cross, in 1486 by the Portuguese sailor Diogo Cão. Since the beginning of the 1980s, there have been plans to build a deep-sea port along with a railway connection near the Cape"
"Pomona, Namibia Pomona is a ghost town in southern Namibia south of Lüderitz on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 15 km south of Elizabeth Bay, Namibia, in an area called Sperrgebiet, a diamond mining zone with restricted access. Around 1910, at the time of the diamond rush in German South West Africa, diamonds in the Pomona area were so plentiful that they could be picked up from the ground with bare hands. Pomona boasted the richest diamond mine of its time, generating over between 1912 and 1914. Mining in the Pomona area started in the 1860s."
"Nama Karoo Nama Karoo is a xeric shrubland ecoregion located on the central plateau of South Africa and Namibia. It occupies most of the interior of the western half of South Africa and extends into the southern interior of Namibia. The climate tends to be volatile and very harsh. Droughts are frequent with rain primarily falling in the summer. Rainfall can also be varied with it fluctuating between per year. Rainfall is known to be highly seasonal, peaking between December and March. It tends to decrease from the east to west and from north to south. The variability in the"
"and inhospitable. The omiramba were also home to Bushmen people in pre-colonial times. Omuramba Omuramba (plural: ""Omiramba"") is the term for ancient river-beds found in the Kalahari Desert of Africa, notably in the North Eastern part of Namibia and North Western part of Botswana. The word is taken from the Herero language. An omuramba provides occasional standing pools of water and more fertility than in the surrounding sand plains. Some specific omiramba are named: Eiseb, Rietfontein, Epukiro, Omatako. They mostly start in the central parts of Namibia and run into the central parts of Botswana. The depth and width of"
"are areas where the dunes are vegetated with hammocks. Namibia has rich coastal and marine resources that remain largely unexplored. Namibia has more than 300 days of sunshine per year. It is situated at the southern edge of the tropics; the Tropic of Capricorn cuts the country about in half. The winter (June–August) is generally dry, both rainy seasons occur in summer, the small rainy season between September and November, the big one between February and April. Humidity is low, and average rainfall varies from almost zero in the coastal desert to more than 600 mm in the Caprivi Strip."