Skeleton Coast
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The Skeleton Coast is located on the west coast of Namibia, where the upwelling of the cold Benguela current gives rise to dense ocean fogs for much of the year. The coast is named for the remarkable assemblages of bones scattered on its beaches.
The coastline is generally of low relief occasionally relieved by rocky outcrops. The southern section consists of gravel plains, while north of Terrace Bay the landscape is dominated by high dunes.
Namibia has declared a 16,000 km² national park for much of the area, from the Ugab river to the south and the Kunene river to the north. The northern half of the park is a designated wilderness area. Notable features here are the clay castles of the Hoarisib, the Agate Mountain salt pans and the large seal colony at Cape Fria.
The Coast has been the subject of a number of wildlife documentaries, particularly about adaptations to extreme aridity. Many of the plant and insect species of the sand dune systems depend for their moisture on the thick sea fogs which engulf the coast and windblown detritus from the interior as food. The desert bird assemblages have been studied in terms of their thermoregulation, coloration, breeding strategies and nomadism.pt:Costa dos Esqueletos