Etosha Pan

The Etoash Pan is an oval-shaped salt pan situated in northern Namibia. The pan itself expands over 4800 km2. A quarter of the Etosha Pan resides within the Etosha National Park. While only a quarter of the pan resides within the park, the entire Etosha Pan is protected by the Etosha National Park. The pan is noted as the “central feature” in the Etosha National Park and serves as a home to many unique plant and animal species. ¹⁾ The pan is 130 km long and 50 km wide. The Etosha Pan is considered to be the largest salt pan in Africa. This saline depression runs roughly 129 km from East to West and 72 km from North to South. ²⁾

The Etosha Pan resides at 16°E longitude and 19°S latitude.³⁾ This is within the northeast region of Namibia. Namibia resides slightly north of South Africa and borders the Atlantic Ocean on the West. It is the terminal playa of the Cubelai drainage system. ⁴⁾ This drainage system is located in the lowest part of the Ovambo Basin. The Etosha Pan is about 1071-1086 m above sea level.⁵⁾

The Etosha Pan is deemed the “great white place” by the Ovambo tribe in their native langue. Historically, the Etosha Pan was inhabited by the Heli/om people, who were a group of hunter-gatherers. This dry, saline desert was also called the “bare place” by the Ndonga people.⁶⁾ The first recorded interaction between white settlers and the Etosha Pan was recorded in 1851. European explorers, Charles Anderson and Francis Galton, created the first written account of the Etosha pan. They discovered the Etosha Pan near a cattle post in Omutjamatunda, or modern-day Namutoni. In 1876, trade routes from Europe opened up to the East and the West of the Etosha Pan. In 1896, German settlers entered Namibia and a conflict began between them at the Heli/om people. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Etosha Pan experienced a severe loss in the wildlife population. It is reported that the population decline was due to either an extreme drought causing the watering holes to dry up, or the crossfire of the Border Wars. The Border Wars was a conflict between Namibia, South Africa, and Angola, all of which are very close to the Etosha Pan.⁷⁾

Local legends surrounding the Etosha Pan state that long ago, a small village was raided by invaders. Everyone in this village was killed but one woman. Supposedly, she cried so much mourning the loss of her village that she formed a large lake with her tears. These tears would eventually dry up and become the Etosha Pan.⁸⁾

It is believed that the Etosha Pan was formed over 100 million years ago in the Pliocene times. It began as an endorheic lake system, which is a large body of water that does not flow into the sea. Over 16,000 years ago, the Kunene River ran from Angola to Etosha.⁹⁾ This river was crucial in maintaining the endorheic lake system Scientists believe that tectonic plate movement around this time shifted this river to the Atlantic Ocean. This shift in the river’s flow caused the lake to dry up over time and become a large salt deposit.¹⁰⁾

The majority of the water in the Etosha Pan is inflow from other rivers. When there is a year with particularly high rainfall, the Ekuma, Oshigambo, and Omuramba Ovambo rivers will flood the pan. These rivers are a part of the Cuvelai system. The water that collects in the Etosha pan is unfit for animal consumption due to the high saline concentration. The Etosha Pan experiences about 430 mm of rainfall. The rainy season is typical during the later summer months.

The summer months in Namibia are January through April. February has the highest mean rainfall. About 110 mm of rainfall happens in February. That being said, the rainfall in the Etosha Pan fluctuates heavily throughout the seasons as well as throughout the years. ¹¹⁾ Rainfall in the Etosha Pan can create salt springs and small hillocks of clay. Rainwater can pool in the Etosha Pan up to 10 cm deep during the wet season.¹²⁾ The Etosha Pan experiences about three seasons throughout the year. From January to April, the climate is typically very hot and wet, with it being the rainy season. The climate from May to August is cool and very dry. From September to December the temperatures warm up again and the climate is very dry. Temperatures range from below 0 degrees Celsius in the winter months (May-August) to over 45 degrees Celsius in the summer months (September-April). In the late winter, winds of high velocity are very common in the Etosha Pan. This creates a high dust content in the atmosphere that greatly diminishes the visibility of the pan. ¹³⁾ During the dry season (May-December), the Etosha Pan’s surface begins to crack. These cracks form hexagonal-shaped fragments made of white clay and are encrusted with salt from the pan floor.¹⁴⁾

The Etosha Pan itself is not a very suitable environment for animals. The water in the pan that collects due to rainfall or the river system is not safe for animals to drink. On the outskirts of the Etosha Pan, however, the area hosts a lot of biodiversities. Towards the southern edges of the Etosha Pan, water holes will form. These water holes are safe for animals to drink and will attract large herds of animals. These water holes also provide resources for grasses for these animals to graze on. Wildlife populations often fluctuate due to the inconsistency in weather in the Etosha Pan. If there is a severe drought, such as the one in the late 1970s, wildlife populations will decline rapidly.¹⁵⁾

• Zebra (Equus quagga)
• Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
• Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)
• Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
• Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)
• White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)
• Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
• Gemsbok (Oryx gazella)
• Eland (Taurotragus oryx)
• Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
• Lion (Panthera leo)
• Leopard (Panthera pardus)
• Heyena (Hyaenidae)
• Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

The Etosha Agama is the only animal that is endemic to this ecoregion. It is a reptile that reaches up to 4 cm long. It eats beetles and termites that are found in the soil surrounding the Etosha Pan.¹⁶⁾

There are over 320 bird species recorded in the Etosha Pan region.

• White pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
• Blue Crane (Anthropoides paradiseus)
• Northern Black Korhann or White-Quilled Bustard (Afrotis afraoides)

Ostriches are the only animals that actually inhabit the Etosha Pan. They nest there as a way to avoid predators. Oftentimes, predators avoid entering the pan itself, preferring to remain near the outskirts. This provides protection for the birds and allows for them to have a successful mating season.

When the Etosha Pan experiences high rainfall and the water begins to pool, it becomes a popular breeding ground for flamingos. Up to 1.1 million flamingos will flock to the pan for the breeding season.¹⁷⁾

The Etosha Pan is not a suitable environment for vegetation. Similar to animals in the region, plants occur mainly on the outskirts of the Etosha Pan. It is classified as a saline desert, and its soil has a high pH content. The pH content in the Etosha Pan ranges from 8.8 to 10.2. This high pH content poses problems for growth due to the lack of nutrients and water in the soil.¹⁸⁾ During the rainy season, blue-green algae can form on the floor of the Etosha Pan. The Etosha Pan also is home to Crustacea due to their short life cycles and eggs which are desiccation-tolerant. This means that they are highly tolerant to the evaporation of moisture. Mainly, the Etosha Pan is home to macrophytes which are plants that need to live in an aquatic environment. This may seem counterintuitive due to the high salinity and desert conditions. Due to the high salinity, however, halophytic plants thrive in the Etosha Pan. Halophytic plants such as the Sporobolu salsus cover the pan. Sporobolu salsus is a food source for grazing animals such as the springbok, gemsbok, and wildebeest during the dry season. Other forms of halophytic vegetation found in the Etosha Pan include the Odyssea paucinervis: a species of African grass, the Suaeda articulata: a shrub/subshrub, and the Mopane tree.¹⁹⁾ An interesting note about the mopane tree- It is home to the mopane worm which feeds off of the tree. The mopane worm eventually turns into an Emperor moth. ²⁰⁾

The Etosha National Park is one of the largest national parks in Africa. It resides in northwestern Namibia. One of the park's main features is the Etosha Pan which makes up about a quarter of the park. The Etosha National Park not only resides in Nambia but is a part of South Africa as well. The Etosha Pan was declared a national game reserve in 1907. Initially, the game reserve spanned 100,000 km2 of territory in Namibia and South Africa. In 1970, however, the expanse of the game reserve was reduced to 20,000 km2 due to shifts in boundaries and political turmoil.²¹⁾ Today, the Etosha National Park struggles with the National Union of Namibian Workers claiming that the park is for sale. Namibians claim the prices for entry are too expensive. ²²⁾