English: This interesting Earth observation image from the International Space Station seems an abstract painting but is really the outskirts of the Namib Desert in southwest Africa. One of the oldest and largest deserts in the world, the Namib stretches inland from the Atlantic Ocean, covering large swathes of Namibia and parts of Angola and South Africa. This arid hotspot surprisingly supports a diverse number of plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.