What is the world's largest inland delta?

The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta.

Located in northern Botswana, it forms where the Okavango River spreads across the Kalahari Basin instead of reaching an ocean or sea. Seasonal floodwaters arrive during Botswana's dry winter, creating channels, lagoons, grasslands, and islands that support an exceptionally rich concentration of wildlife.

The delta covers roughly 15,000 square kilometres during peak flooding, although its extent changes with rainfall and river flow. Its unusual timing results from rainfall in the Angolan highlands, hundreds of kilometres upstream, arriving months later.

Unlike conventional river deltas, the Okavango is endorheic: its water drains internally, mainly through evaporation and plant transpiration. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 and is known for elephants, lions, hippos, and many bird species.