Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
Many of Africa’s “acacias” – particularly those commonly known as thorn trees/bushes – have a great many very fierce thorns, designed to deter browsing animals.
Nesting birds – usually, one of the weavers – are undeterred, and the feathered home-builders also often get a “free kick” from those thorns.
Birds who nest in the thick of thorns are deploying the tree’s weapons to defend themselves (and their young) from bird-eating predators.
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A Wikipedia list of 182 counties, ranked by average annual precipitation, has Colombia allegedly wettest and Egypt driest – respectively, 3,240 mm and 18 mm.
155 nations are allegedly “wetter” than Namibia; its reported annual average of 285 mm is a little more than half of the figure given for nation #141 – Australia.
Yet Namibian-harvested hardwood is the basis for an industry which currently yields more than 70 million Australian dollars worth of annual export income…and that figure is set to soar.
It has nothing to do with construction timbers or wooden furniture.
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Southern Africa’s oryx – Oryx gazella, aka “gemsbok” – is the largest of the world’s four oryx species.
This handsome antelope is prominent on Namibia’s coat of arms.
Oryx is also a firm favourite of Namibian diners; if Namibia had a “Paul Hogan”, he’d surely entice tourists by offering to “throw some gemsbok on the braai”.
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Arguably, this particular oxymoron nicely describes Phacochoerus africanus – the common warthog.
Ugly Beauty is also the title of an unequivocally beautiful composition by one of jazz’s greatest composers.
This post’s kneeling hero was neither injured, nor pious, and although the fire in this image was part of a lovely dinner experience, warthog was not on the menu.
Khowarib Gorge is one of very few Namibian places through which water flows, visibly, “permanently”.
This post’s (Tunisian) musical bonus was doubtless inspired by larger waves, dancing somewhere else entirely, but Anouar Brahem’s Dance With Waves dances well with a desert river’s rippling.
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…by Namibian standards!
You’ll see what I mean when you see some of the others, in a future, multi-image, lizard-centric post.
If you love lizards, Namibia is a particularly loveable destination.
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Photo was taken a few hundred metres upstream of Epupa Falls.
At 6.37 am on 11 November 2022 I was standing on the Namibian side of the Kunene River.
In Angola it is the Cunene; above, you are looking at both nations…and the moon.
The Kunene and the Orange (which is the border between Namibia and South Africa) are the only two of Namibia’s rivers that “permanently” have water flowing – above ground, visible – all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
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Day becoming night – or vice versa – is especially beautiful in an arid or semi-arid region where edifices and artificial lighting are nowhere visible, or barely present.
Namibia has a great many such places.
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Most Australians have never heard of – let alone, seen – a member of the species pictured above.
Quelea Quelea – the Red-billed Quelea – is, however, almost certainly the most abundant bird on “our” planet!
It is a significant agricultural pest. Sometimes in flocks of millions, billowing in the sky like smoke…
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On average, this (contested) title probably rightfully belongs to males of a species widespread in southern Africa: Ardeotis kori – the Kori Bustard.
They commonly weigh 18 kilograms apiece.
The so-called “World Wide Web” is in fact more than a tad Northern Hemispere-centric/ USA-centric/ Eurocentric; I strongly suspect that Africa has the biggest bustards.
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