THiNK 1 U9.P84 18

They eat wild animals, plants, berries, nuts and insects. They hunt with bows and arrows. There are lots of dangerous snakes, spiders and scorpions. There are lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas. It's one of southern Africa's hottest places, and there is often no water. Then they have to get their water from plants, for example from desert melons. When they are ill, there are no hospitals. The people have to get their medicine from plants too.

They are the San, the last people living in the Kalahari. The San people have another name –'bush people'. Their lifestyle is very simple, but they know more about animals and plants than most people do. The San people live in small groups of 25–50. They live in huts – little 'houses' that they make from wood and grass. There are no schools for the children. Children learn from the older people in the group. There are lots of things they have to learn so that they can live in a dangerous place like the Kalahari. In the evenings, the groups of people often sit around a fire and tell stories. Many of the stories are about animals and how to hunt them.

The Kalahari is a big area of bushland in southern Africa. It has got two parts. There is less rain in the southern part than there is in the northern part, so the south is drier. There are fewer plants and animals there, and it's a lot more difficult for people to live. But when it rains at the end of the summer, the land becomes greener and more beautiful. For a few weeks, there are millions of little flowers and even butterflies! But soon, the grass and the bushes get dry and turn brown. Then life becomes more difficult again for people and animals.

Every year, thousands of tourists from all over the world visit the Kalahari. They love driving around the bushland in open jeeps. They love watching the wild animals. Their guides are often San bushmen and the tourists love listening to their stories about the wonders of the Kalahari. The tourists stay in small huts called 'lodges'. They have comfortable beds and showers, but there is no electricity in the huts. When they go out of their hut, they have to be very careful. Sometimes there are lions or leopards around!