Uniab

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Uniab
Data
location Namibia
River system Uniab
muzzle in the Atlantic Coordinates: 20 ° 11 ′ 44 ″  S , 13 ° 10 ′ 50 ″  E 20 ° 11 ′ 44 ″  S , 13 ° 10 ′ 50 ″  E

length 117 km
Catchment area 3,960.575 km²

The 117 km long Uniab , together with the Hoarusib , Hoanib , Koigab , Huab and Ugab, is one of the large dry rivers in northwestern Namibia , which cross the extremely dry area of ​​the Namib and Skeleton Coast and flow into the Atlantic.

Hydrology

The catchment area of the Uniab is relatively small with 3960.575 km² and stretches from the Atlantic to the Great Edge step east of Palm and Palmwag, where it drains the reddish volcanic rocks of the Grootberg . The highest point of the catchment area is at 1600 m. The precipitation in the catchment area of ​​the Uniab is very irregular and varies from 0 mm / a in the mouth area to 125 mm / a in the area of ​​the Grootberg, although only 2% of the catchment area experiences precipitation over 100 mm / a. When the Uniab actually comes off, which happens relatively regularly, it flows through a spectacular gorge and over a waterfall into the sea, clearing the drifting sand overflows in the coastal area. In the area around Palmwag and at the mouth there are smaller, year-round wetlands , but also in the rest of the river there are a large number of occasional or year-round pouring springs, which however do not contribute to the Uniab river.

Vegetation and fauna

74% of the catchment area falls into the vegetation type of the Mopane savannah, the remaining 26% in the northern Namib . Large parts consist of rocky desert with isolated individuals of euphorbia such as Euphorbia damarana . In the middle reaches and in the area of ​​the wetlands there are larger stocks of mopane ( Colophospermum mopane ), Tamarix and Salvadora as gallery forest, also in the area of ​​the springs grasses, cyperus and phragmites . The Uniabdelta home to the only Black Harrier population north of the Namibian border with South Africa . With its many sources, the Uniab, like Hoanib or Hoarusib, provides the basis for a large number of migratory wild animals, including desert elephants , black rhinoceros , numerous species of antelope , but also lions .

Use and settlement

11% of the catchment area belongs to the Skeleton Coast Park , the rest is exclusively communal land, with the Uniab-Catchment being almost entirely used as the Palmwag tourist concession area. The population density, including the staff of the Palmwag Lodge, is less than 100.

literature

  • Mary Seely, Kathryn M. Jacobson, Peter J. Jacobson: Ephemeral Rivers and Their Catchments - Sustaining People and Development in Western Namibia . Desert Research Foundation of Namibia, 1995, ISBN 978-99916-709-4-2 .
  • Klaus Hüser, Helga Besler, Wolf Dieter Blümel, Klaus Heine, Hartmut Leser, Uwe Rust : Namibia - A Landscape Studies in Pictures . Klaus Hess, Göttingen / Windhoek 2001, ISBN 978-3-933117-14-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mapping the Major Cathments of Namibia. Ben Ben J. Strohbach, National Botanical Research Institute, pp. 5-6.