628 



ZONES AND REGIONS [Pt. Ill, Sect. II 



The South African desert near the coast is a chain of mountains, formed 

 of very ancient rocks and buried in sand, the summits alone protruding. 

 Towards the east, as far as the Kalahari, rocky plateaux traversed by shallow- 

 valleys extend, and these, under the name Karroos, penetrate far into the 

 interior of Cape Colony. The vegetation consequently, according to locality, 

 is one belonging to sand, to loose stony soil, or to rocks. 



m 



FlG. 361. South-west African desert : Nama Land. Aloe dichotoma on gneiss-rocks 

 near Khukhaus, south of Aos. From a photograph by A. Schenck. 



In the Littoral district the vegetation is extremely poor ; the plants grow 

 quite isolated, wide distances apart, except in certain places where subterra- 

 nean water accumulates, or, in Damara-land, along the water-courses, the 

 banks of which are clad with dense woods consisting chiefly of Acacia 

 (A. detinens, var. bijuga, A. hebeclada), besides some other small trees and 



