done with a good

1. Cape Algulhas – Southern most point
Cape Blanc – Northern most point
Point Les Alamedies – Western most
point
Ras Hafun – Eastern most point
1. connect
What do you
think today’s
lesson is
going to be
about?

2. Lesson Objective:
To investigate Botswana and two of its major natural features
– the Makgadikgadi and the Okovango Delta
By the end of this lesson you will have:
• Watched video clips showing the journey across the
Makgadikgadi Pans and Okavango Delta.
• Thought about what makes them unique and considered how
they formed
• Made a decision on which one should be saved.
Amazing Places in Africa
Personal learning and thinking skills you will have used:
Creative thinker – ask questions, question own assumptions

3. Tell me two things about Botswana from the map.
Amazing Places: Botswana 3. New information
Borders South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia
and Zambia.
Capital city is Gaborone.
In the south of Africa.

4. This is the Makgadikgadi Pans. Write down some words to
describe what they are like.

5. The Makgadikgadi Pans are in the centre
of Botswana and cover approximate
12,000 square kilometres.
1. What do you think they are made
from?
2. How do you think they could have
been created?
3. Do you think anything could live here?
If so – what?

7. 1. What do you think they are made
from?
2. How do you think they could have
been created?
3. Do you think anything could live here?
If so – what?
Having seen the video clip, do you want
to change your answers?

8. These are all
found in the
Makgadikgadi
Pans.
Having seen
what the area is
like:
a) Do you think they
live here all year?
b) How do you think
they survive?

9. Amazing Place 1: Makgadikgadi Pans
The Makgadikgadi Pans are the remains of a great lake that once covered most of
northern Botswana, fed by rivers carrying salts. Because the lake had no outlet to
another river or the sea, the salts were deposited on the lake bed.
Less than 10,000 years ago, the climate changed, the lake dried up and all that
was left were the salt deposits. For most of the year the area is dried up, however,
as soon as the first rains fall, the region plays host to an alluring display of animal
life. The water encourages one of Africa's great migrations. When the rains fall, the
migrations of herd of Zebra and Wildebeest begin as the animals head off to the
next great grazing land.

10. The Makgadikgadi Pans are not totally
empty.
When the rains fall, the migrations of herd of
Zebra and Wildebeest begin as the animals
head off to the next great grazing land.
The Pans are also home to Meerkats and
the Baobab tree.
The Baobab is designed to survive in these harsh
conditions. They grow on rock outcrops, once islands in
the lake.

11. Makgadikgadi salt pans
How important is it – to wildlife, people and the environment?
Are people going to want to visit it? why?
What would be lost forever if this place wasn’t protected?
What makes is so unique and special that it has to be saved?
4. Challenge activity

12. What? Why? How?

14. Okavango Delta
The River Okavango, which starts
in Angola, never reaches the sea;
instead its waters empty over the
sands of the Kalahari Desert, clip
The Okavango River is flowing
downhill until it gets to the Kalahari desert.
The land becomes flat, the water in the river slows and
stops so the river drops all the sand and mud it is carrying,
creating islands.
These islands block the river and the water makes a new
channel which eventually gets blocked as another island
forms.
This keeps happening over and over, making a swamp.
The delta is the point where the river meets the desert and
begins to drop all the material it has carried.
How is a delta created?
Can you think of how
the Okavango and
Makgadikgadi are
linked?
In the past, this was a huge
lake called Makgadikgadi –
the water and swamp
covered the Kalahari Desert.
Then the climate changed
and the lake dried up, leaving
only the delta behind.

15. Okavango Delta
Where is it?
Fact File
Location: Okavango Delta is in the North
West of Botswana!
Okavango Delta Size: 15 000km (it is bigger
than Wales and is the largest inland
Delta in the world)

16. Slaty Egret –
only place in the
world it is found!
Discuss in pairs and write down:
What do these photos suggest to you about the
Okavango?
What do you think the government of Botswana
think about it and why?
Because of the
importance the wildlife to
the economy, Botswana’s
government has set up
protection laws to ensure
that the animals do not
get poached!
The Okavango Delta is one of the richest
wildlife areas in the world.
It is has:
1,300 plant species,
444 bird species,
71 species of fish,
64 species of reptile
122 species of mammal including buffalo,
hippopotamus, zebras and giraffe!

17. Decision Time:
The Botswana Government only has enough resources to protect one of these areas
from over development, tourism and pollution. You have to decide which one should
be saved.
For each place (Makgadikgadi salt pans and Okavango Delta) make a list of the
following:
• I will save the ……..because….
• It is important to… wildlife and the environment because…..
• People will visit it because…..
• If this place wasn’t protected we would lose forever…..
• What makes is so unique and special that it has to be saved?

18. Is it easy to make a decision?
This is the problem that many countries face, particularly
ones that are quite poor when they have to decide to protect
or use a unique and amazing place.
6, review and reflect