What Is the Oldest Desert In the World and What Makes the Namib Desert In Namibia So Unusual?

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Karen Hill

The barren red sand desert known as Namib Desert is the richest source of diamonds in the world.

The Namib Desert stretches along Africa’s southwestern coast for 1,300 miles (2,093 km).

When the cold waters of the South Atlantic Ocean collide with the hot dry air of the African desert, huge amounts of fog blanket the coastal areas.

But even with all that moisture, the Namib receives only 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) of rain each year.

The Namib Desert is about 55 million years old, making it one of the world’s oldest deserts.

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