Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is a large low gradient alluvial fan or “Inland Delta” located in north-western Botswana. The area includes permanent swamps which cover approximately 600,000 hectare along with up to 1.2 million hectare of seasonally flooded grassland. The inscribed World Heritage property encompasses an area of 2,023,590 hectare with a buffer zone of 2,286,630 hectare.
The Okavango Delta is one of a very few large inland delta systems without an outlet to the sea, known as an endorheic delta, its waters drain instead into the desert sands of the Kalahari Basin. It is Africa’s third-largest alluvial fan and the continent’s largest endorheic delta. Furthermore, it is in a near pristine state being a largely untransformed wetland system. The biota has uniquely adapted their growth and reproductive behavior, particularly the flooded grassland biota, to be timed with the arrival of floodwater in the dry, winter season of Botswana.
The geology of the area, a part of the African Rift Valley System, has resulted in the “capture” of the Okavango River that has formed the Delta and its extensive waterways, swamps, flooded grasslands and floodplains.
The Delta’s dynamic geomorphological history has a major effect on the hydrology, determining water flow direction, inundation and dehydration of large areas within the Delta system. The site is an outstanding example of the interplay between climatic, geomorphological, hydrological and biological processes that drive and shape the system and of the manner in which the Okavango Delta’s plants and animals have adapted their lifecycles to the annual cycle of rains and flooding. CA
Capital of China, Beijing, bears witness to 3,000 years of cultural history. Since it joined the Network in 2012, the Creative City of Design has gradually become a driver of sustainable development.
As a Creative City, Beijing has been nurtured by its deep cultural heritage and abundant science and technology resources. The city hosts more than 90 universities and over 1,000 scientific research institutes and supports more than 3,762 above-scale cultural and related industry enterprises. In 2019, the city’s creative sector employed more than 600,000 creative professionals and generated over 1.2 trillion yuan ($186 billion).
In 2012, Beijing established the Beijing City of Design Coordination and Promotion Committee and released the Outline of Construction and Development Plan of Beijing City of Design. The city has also been carrying out international projects to integrate into the global network of innovative design. In addition, Beijing holds various events including the annual China Red Star Design Award, and has organized three editions of the UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit in 2013, 2016 and 2020 respectively.