| The Namib is believed to be the oldest desert in the world. It stretches for 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) along the Atlantic coast, from the Angolan border in the north to the mouth of the Orange River in the south. Near the two seaside towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Sossusvlei, a vast clay basin surrounded by red dunes, is the most accessible area for tourists. It also marks the limit beyond which they are not permitted to explore - since 1994 the desert to the south of Sossusvlei has been closed to the public. This measure was taken to ensure the protection of the dunes, and also of the plant and animal species such as sand vipers, beetles, and the oryx, a variety of antelope well-adapted to intense heat and aridity. The large diamond companies, which have made claims in this region otherwise uninhabited by humans, are using nature as a pretext for preventing diamond hunters from prospecting on their immensely valuable land. The interests of finance and nature are often locked together, usually in combat, but in this case in harmony.
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.&title2=Oryx in the dunes of Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, region Namibia (S 22°41’ - E 14°34’).&title3=Orix en la región de dunas de Sossusvlei, Región de Swakopmund, Namibia (S 22°41’ - E 14°34’). "download in wallpaper")
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