Brandberg
Granite massifwith ancient rockart and uniquelandscapes
A proposed Namibian Geopark and aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark. Almost 2 billion years of Earth history lie open here, like a story book under clear desert skies.
From the Atlantic coast inland across the Namib Desert and the Great Western Escarpment.
Gondwanaland Geopark covers about 60,000 km² of central-western Namibia, mostly in the Erongo and Kunene Regions. It tells the story of the supercontinent Gondwana: how it was assembled more than 500 million years ago, and how it broke apart about 130 million years ago, when the South Atlantic Ocean was born.
The Geopark uses geology, geotourism and education to create local jobs and income, while protecting the area's geological, natural and cultural heritage.
Read more about the Geoparkacross Erongo, Kunene and part of Otjozondjupa
years of Earth history in its rocks
rock art sites in the Brandberg alone
of the land is communal conservancy
Granite massifwith ancient rockart and uniquelandscapes
Iconic granitepeaks and naturalrock sculptures
Spectacular foldstructures andbeautiful scenery
Vast lava flowsrelated toGondwanalandbreak-up
Amazingcolumnar basaltformations
Remnants ofancient volcanicactivity
Rock shelter withsuperb rock art
Granite domesand scenicwilderness
Desert-adapted elephants, free-roaming black rhino, lions and the "living fossil" Welwitschia, in places with less than 100 mm of rain a year.
Wildlife & conservationTwyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and more than 1,000 rock art sites in the Brandberg, where springs drew people for thousands of years.
Living heritageAround 45,000 people live here. Communal conservancies cover about 60% of the Geopark and manage their own wildlife and tourism.
Meet the communitiesGneisses and schists form the ancient basement.
Glacial deposits from ice that may have covered the planet.
Continents collide to form the Damara mountain belt.
The Petrified Forest, Mesosaurus and Lake Gai-As.
Lava floods as Africa and South America part.
Uplift and erosion carve the Great Escarpment.
A UNESCO Global Geopark is a single, clearly defined area where landscapes and sites of international geological importance are managed as a whole, for protection, education and sustainable development.
There are 241 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 51 countries. Only three are in Africa.
7 facts about GeoparksAn official UNESCO label since 2015, alongside World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.
People keep living, farming and working inside it, under their existing owners and plans.
UNESCO re-evaluates each Geopark, keeping the focus on real results.
