Approximately 340 bird species have been identified in the park including many other species of wildlife. Etosha National Park and Game Reserve is considered one of the finest game parks in Africa, both in size and variety of species. 

The primary wildlife attraction of the Skeleton Coast is Cape Frio, which harbors a seal colony numbering in the tens of thousands. There are a number of features of this coastal desert which stretches about 186 miles (300 km)  making it a unique region on earth. It is also the richest source of diamonds on the planet, and Namibia is as a result the world's largest diamond producer. 

Namibia's center is occupied by a high escarpment plain. Windhoek, the capital and the only city of any size in Namibia. The city lies 5,400 feet (1,650 m) above sea level (just slightly less than a "Mile High" Denver). The climate here is typical of semi-desert country, with hot days and cool nights. In the northern part of the central plain is the Waterberg Plateau, a 154-square mile (400 sq km) shelf that rises 492 feet (150 m) straight from the surrounding plain. The plateau is well watered and lush, and is home to several rare and endangered species. 

Namibian rainfall can be expected in the form of heavy thunderstorms exclusively in the summer months, which in the southern hemisphere, occur from November to February. During these copious rains, the dry riverbeds, in Namibia called "riviere", for a short while, become rapid rivers; within a few days, the burnt-out land turns green with vegetation.

Some experts say that the best time to travel in Namibia are the months from April to June. During this period, the temperature during the day averages about 77? F (+/- 25 C); the sky is always blue then and the nights are cool enough for a good sleep. While some claim that the dry winter months (July to September) are a good time to travel the desert country. During these months, the daytime temperatures rarely sink below 68? F (+/- 20 C). However, during the winter, on the interior plateau and in the Namib Desert, night frosts can occur. Experts do agree, however, that the Namib Desert should be avoided in mid-summer (November to March) when it often gets warmer than 104? F (+/- 35 C). The same applies to the tropically humid northeast of the country.

Namibia is the first country in the world to include protection of the environment and sustainable utilization of wildlife in its constitution. About 16% of the country's territory has been set aside as national parks.

In terms of inhabitants, Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Merely 1.7 million people live in an area of approximately 318,000 square miles (824,000 sq km)--equivalent to 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2 per sq km). Compare this with 70 inhabitants per square mile (182 per sq km) in the USA. Though populated by few people, those few constitute an unusually diverse set of peoples and cultures. The country's predominant (85%) black population is composed of several different ethnic groups, including the San, the Khoi-Khoi, the Herero and the Ovambo. The small European population is composed of Germans and Afrikaners; there is also a significant Asian minority. The great majority of Namibia's population lives in the north, where the climate is less arid and generally more hospitable. The succulents live to the south.

Botanists have identified more than 3,000 different species of plants--about 1/10th of them are water-storing varieties or succulents. Euphorbia and Aloe abound, but there are many others including various Aloe and Hoodia the worlds most sought after appetites suppressant namely Hoodia Gordonii. 

Other plants of significance in the region, are two plants, the first one is Welwitschia Mirabilis, one of the rarest plants in the world. The second is Aloe Dichotoma. 

The early explorers who arrived at the Cape, recognized two basic groups of natives:

The herders or Khoi-Khoi, whom they called "Hottentots" (one of the words the Khoi used when they danced was "hautitou", this sounded like "hottentot" to the Europeans) and --The hunter-gatherers or San whom they called Bushman.

It is to these natives that A. dichotoma owes the common names Kokerboom (Koker = Quiver in Afrikaans) and Quiver Tree. Because of the soft pith of the branches and trunks of A. dichotoma, they would hollow them out, creating hollow tubes, which would make excellent quivers to carry their arrows. They did this for thousands of years before the white man settled in southern Africa.

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