1752 BOTSWANA - Animal families

As I say here, even if up to 70% of Botswana's territory is occupied by the Kalahari Desert, the country has a spectacular abundance of wildlife. Species diversity is not particularly spectacular, compared to other regions in southern Africa, but the conservation areas are among the most popular ecotourist destinations in this part of the continent. A total of 30.2% of Botswana is protected for wildlife, which is a high percentage by Africa standards. In the postcard are families of the most known animal species in the country: Burchell's zebra; giraffe; hippos; elephant; cheetah; Chacma baboon; lion.

1701 BOTSWANA - Makgadikgadi Pan, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Tuli Block (UNESCO WHS and Tentative List)

Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70% of its territory being the Kalahari Desert, but nevertheless has diverse areas of wildlife habitat. Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the Makgadikgadi Pan is all that remained of a lake which dried up several thousand years ago, now being one of the largest salt flats in the world. Seasonally covered with water and grass, is a refuge for birds and animals. The fringes of the pan are salt marshes and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. Kubu Island is an igneous rock "island" located in the southwestern quadrant of Sua Pan, and contains a number of baobab trees (in the picture). These trees function as local landmarks, and one of them, named after James Chapman, served as an unofficial post office for 19th-century explorers. It was submitted in 2010 on the Tentative List of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

1343 BOTSWANA - Moths

This postcard depicts a shaped miniature sheet comprising a series of stamps issued on July 19, 2000, Moths of Botswana:

Mopane moth / Gonimbrasia belina (35t) - is a moth of the Saturniidae family, which is found in much of Southern Africa. Its large edible caterpillar, the mopani or mopane worm (found on the mopane tree, Colophospermum mopane), is an important source of protein for millions of indigenous Southern Africans. Its wingspan is about 120mm. It is fawn through shades of green and brown to red, with two black and white bands isolating eye spots. Orange eyespot on each hind wing. Males have feathery antennae.