TOPOGRAPHY. Three natural regions are recog nized—the coastal region, the highland, and the Kalahari Waste, the western part of which is in the German territory. The coastal region is under the double influence of the cold coast waters coming partly from the south, rising part ly from the ocean depths, and cooling the atmos phere to a considerable degree, and of the south east trade winds, which, blowing from the land instead of from the sea, give the climate an almost rainless character. The coast is bordered therefore by a belt of sand about 10 miles wide, behind which rises a barren steppe from 40 to 50 miles in width. This valueless coastal zone is succeeded by the wide belt of highlands extend ing from north to south. The predominant fea tures of these highlands, several hundred miles in width, are the mountains to the north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and a great tableland in the south, which is cut up by deep valleys into high plateaus. The highest elevations are among the mountains of Damaraland, where there are many summits from 3000 to 6000 feet high, the cul minating point being Omatako Mountain, whose height is 8800 feet. The eastern part of the
highlands slopes gradually to the Kalahari Plains (q.v.), with which they merge.
Three harbors are of commercial importance. Walfish Bay belongs to Great Britain; Angra Pequefia, notwithstanding its natural advantages, is of small present value, owing to the barren ness of the surrounding country; Swakopmund (the mouth of the Swakop River) is the harbor most important for German interests, because it is through the valley of the Swakop that the highland—the valuable part of the country— may most easily be reached. The only perennial rivers are the Cunene and Kubango, on the north ern boundary, and the Orange, on the southern boundary.
With a cool coast, sparse vegetation, and no standing waters, the climate, except in the ex treme north, is healthful. In spite of their ele vation, the highlands are warmer than the coast, and although the uplands are very dry, there are many thunder-storms in the warmer part of the year, when the stream-beds fill and the parched valleys for a short time are green with verdure.