swampSwamps are places with waterlogged ground and dominated by trees.
Swamps are found in wetlands (places that are permanently waterlogged), such as the delta of a river. Because of the waterlogged conditions, the plants that grow in swamps are specially adapted. Swamps have visible standing water and are dominated by trees (compared with marsh, dominated by grasses and a bog, which does not appear waterlogged).
Okavango Delta and Swamp, Botswana. The dark "broom-shaped" area of this photograph indicates where the denser vegetation is found in the Okavango Inland Delta of northwest Botswana. The delta is part of the Ngami Depression, which is located at the extreme southern end of the East African Rift System and is the result of block faulting.
The Okavango River, which originates in the plateau of southeastern Angola, provides an intermittent flow of water as the river enters the delta area from the northwest. Because this delta is situated in a desert climate, Earth scientists have called this site one of the most ecologically sensitive areas on the planet. There is constant competition among would-be users of the land, including farmers, cattle ranchers, and those who would establish a natural game preserve. Hot, humid conditions make this area an ideal habitat for the tsetse fly, a known carrier of African sleeping sickness.
People use canoes to get about on the Okovango Delta
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