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Source– This post on Namaqualand has been created based on the article “Astonishing” Discovery – 34,000-Year-Old Inhabited Termite Mounds Discovered in South Africa” published in “Scietechdaily” on 21 June 2024.
Why in the news?
Scientists recently discovered that termite mounds along the Buffels River in Namaqualand are the world’s oldest inhabited, dating back 34,000 years.
About Namaqualand
1. Namaqualand is a desert area in southwestern Africa.
2. It extends from the Karas region in Namibia in the north to the Northern Cape province in South Africa in the south.
3. From west to east, it stretches from the Namib Desert to the Kalahari Desert.
4. In Namibia, the part of Namaqualand north of the Orange River is known as Great Namaqualand.
5. In South Africa, the area south of the Orange River is called Little Namaqualand.
6. Namaqualand is very dry, and for most of the year, you will mainly see succulents. These are special plants that store water and can survive long periods without rain.
7. During winter, when it rains, the desert can bloom with wildflowers for a few weeks in spring.
8. Historically, the Nama people lived in Namaqualand before the Germans took over the region in the 19th century. The area has large copper deposits, which the Nama mined for hundreds of years.
9. In the early 1900s, diamonds were discovered in parts of Namaqualand, such as Sperrgebiet in Namibia and the Richtersveld in South Africa.
UPSC Syllabus: World geography
