Etosha National Park, National park in Kunene Region, Namibia.
Etosha National Park lies in the Kunene region of northwestern Namibia and borders the Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa regions. It covers 22,270 square kilometres, and the Etosha pan, a salt pan of 4,760 square kilometres, makes up 23 percent of that area. The park is bounded by the Kalahari Basin's northwestern edge, about 400 kilometres from Windhoek and 125 kilometres from Angola.
German governor Friedrich von Lindequist declared the area a game reserve through an ordinance in March 1907. This decision laid the foundation for the present park, which was later maintained and expanded under different administrations.
The name comes from the Oshindonga language and means great white place, referring to the vast salt pan that dominates the landscape. Visitors today experience this feature as a wide, often empty basin that shimmers bright and hard during dry weather.
Three main camps at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni offer accommodations from camping sites to equipped chalets near lit waterholes. These camps serve as starting points for drives along roads leading to different waterholes, where visitors can observe animals.
The salt pan hosts microscopic organisms that survive in extremely salty water. During the summer rainy season, numerous flamingos gather here to feed on these microorganisms and temporarily turn the white basin pink.
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