The Sua Pan or Sowa Pan is a large natural topographic depression within the
Makgadikgadi region of
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...
. It is located near the village of ''
Sowa'', whose name means
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
in the language of the
San. The Sua
salt pan is one of three large pans within the Makgadikgadi, the other two being
Nxai Pan and
Nwetwe Pan.
The Sua Pan was first described to the European world by
David Livingstone, pursuant to his
explorations in this region. Significant
archaeological recoveries have been made within the Nwetwe Pan, featuring
Stone-Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
tools from peoples who lived in this area when a large year-round lake occupied the Sua and Nwetwe Pans.
The Brines of Sua Pan being one of the largest playa lakes in the world spans approximately 24000 square kilometers. While
sodium chloride
Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35 ...
is the prime constituent, there are many other salts found within this area such as
sodium carbonate,
sodium bicarbonate,
sodium sulfate, and minor amounts of
potassium chloride
Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a sa ...
(
potash
Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form. ).
Currently, Sua Pan is a seasonal lake; it fills with water during the Summer rainy season and retains water until April or May. Among the more successful wildlife conservation projects in Botswana was the community-initiated
Nata Bird Sanctuary in the northeast of this area. It opened in 1993 and was awarded that year the "Tourism for Tomorrow Award" for the
Southern Hemisphere.
It is supported by members of four nearby villages, who have helped make it a success.
One of the tributaries of the Sua Pan is the
Mosetse River. The village of
Mosetse is named for it and lies along the river.
Industry
Sua Pan is also the site of
sodium carbonate (soda ash) mining company Botash. The company is half owned by the Botswana government and produces over 300,000 tonnes of soda ash and 450,000 tonnes of salt per year.
In addition to producing sodium carbonate, the mine also produces
halite
Halite (), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, ...
,
sodium sulfate and
sodium bicarbonate salts. The mine uses a variation of the
Solvay process to produce their soda ash and byproducts.
Transport
Sua Pan is the western terminus of the
Francistown–Sua Pan 174.5 km
railway line.
See also
*
Mosope River
*
Semowane River
*
Nata River
Sources
* David Livingstone (1868) ''Missionary Travels and Researches in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
: Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa'', Harper Publishers.
C.Michael Hogan (2008) ''Makgadikgadi, The Megalithic Portal'' ed. A. Burnham
* Bryan Robert Davies and Keith F. Walker (1986), ''The
Ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
of River Systems'', Springer, 733 pages, , .
Footnotes
{{coord, -20.75, 25.95, dim:100000_region:BW, display=title
Salt flats of Botswana
Makgadikgadi Pan
Central District (Botswana)