Africa's Most Extreme

There is a 1200-mile strip of land on the southwestern coast of Africa where the searing Namib Desert meets the frigid Atlantic Ocean. Here the basic elements of the earth exist in paradoxical extremes. The Namib, an extremely arid desert, is often cloaked in fog created by the cold, nutrient-rich Benguela Current. Fur seals and penguins divide their time between the sandy shore and the icy water of the sea, while ostrich, gemsbok, and hyena roam the wind-swept dunes. Ingenious adaptations to this ancient desert's extreme conditions allow these and other creatures to survive in an Eden called the Namib. (National Geographic)