Kubu Island
Encyclopedia
Kubu Island is a dry granite
rock island
located in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park area of Botswana
. The name Kubu means hippopotamus
in Tswana
. The island is located a few kilometers away from Orapa
and Letlhakane
mining towns and can be accessed through Mmatshumo
in the Boteti district.
The entire island is a national monument
, and is considered a sacred site by the indigenous people of the area.
It is accessible by four wheel drive vehicle and has basic camping facilities. The campsite is run for the benefit of the local population.
Top Gear
presenter Jeremy Clarkson
described the island as "just about the most astonishing place I've ever been" on the November 4, 2007 episode.
is a large salt pan
in northern Botswana
, the largest salt flat complex in the world. These salt pans cover approximately 16,000 km2 and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi
that began evaporating millennia ago. Archaeological recovery in the Makgadikgadi has revealed the presence of prehistoric humans through abundant finds of stone tools; some of these tools have been dated sufficiently early to establish their origin as earlier than the era of Homo sapiens.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
rock island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
located in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park area of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. The name Kubu means hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
in Tswana
Tswana language
Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
. The island is located a few kilometers away from Orapa
Orapa
Orapa is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. It is the site of the Orapa diamond mine, one of the largest diamond mines in the world, and is considered to be the diamond capital of the country...
and Letlhakane
Letlhakane
Letlhakane is a village in the Central District of Botswana. It is located south of Mmatshumo and the population of the village was 14,962 in 2001 census....
mining towns and can be accessed through Mmatshumo
Mmatshumo
Mmatshumo is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located close to Makgadikgadi Pan. The village has a primary school and a health clinic, and the population was 865 in 2001 census....
in the Boteti district.
The entire island is a national monument
National monument
A National monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of national importance such as a war or the country's founding. The term may also refer to a specific monument status, such as a National Heritage Site, which most national monuments are by reason of their cultural...
, and is considered a sacred site by the indigenous people of the area.
It is accessible by four wheel drive vehicle and has basic camping facilities. The campsite is run for the benefit of the local population.
Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
presenter Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
described the island as "just about the most astonishing place I've ever been" on the November 4, 2007 episode.
Natural history
The Makgadikgadi PanMakgadikgadi Pan
The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of northeastern Botswana. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world...
is a large salt pan
Salt pan (geology)
Natural salt pans are flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually shining white under the sun. They are found in deserts, and should not be confused with salt evaporation ponds.A salt pan is formed where water pools...
in northern Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, the largest salt flat complex in the world. These salt pans cover approximately 16,000 km2 and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi
Lake Makgadikgadi
Lake Makgadikgadi is an ancient lake that existed in what is now the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. It may have once covered as much as 80,000 km² and was 30 m deep...
that began evaporating millennia ago. Archaeological recovery in the Makgadikgadi has revealed the presence of prehistoric humans through abundant finds of stone tools; some of these tools have been dated sufficiently early to establish their origin as earlier than the era of Homo sapiens.