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Kalahari

American  
[kah-luh-hahr-ee, kal-uh-] / ˌkɑ ləˈhɑr i, ˌkæl ə- /

noun

  1. a desert region in SW Africa, largely in Botswana. 100,000 sq. mi. (259,000 sq. km).


Kalahari British  
/ ˌkæləˈhɑːrɪ /

noun

  1. Also known as: the Kalahari Desert.  an extensive arid plateau of South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Area: 260 000 sq km (100 000 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Some of the Eastern Rock sengis were living very close to Bushveld sengis, a surprising result since Tswalu Kalahari Reserve lies outside the species' expected range.

From Science Daily Jan. 29, 2026

In her humble home on the red soil of the Green Kalahari, 92-year-old Katrina Esau listened intently as her two great-grandchildren practised the ancient N|uu language of South Africa's indigenous San people.

From Barron's Oct. 10, 2025

They proposed that Americans see the illusion only because of their overexposure to carpentry—straight lines and sharp angles that are present in urban environments and the Müller-Lyer figure, but are less prevalent in the Kalahari.

From Slate Aug. 24, 2025

The trees were discovered growing beneath the Kalahari sands of highland Angola, in central Africa.

From BBC Jan. 10, 2024

It may well be that ancient hunter-gatherers living in zones more fertile than the Kalahari spent even less time obtaining food and raw materials.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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