The park covers an area of 19,216 square miles (49,768 sq km) creating the largest national park in Africa and the fourth largest in the world. It is a renowned park featuring the splendor of the Namib Desert. The Namib Desert is at the heart of the national park. As the oldest desert in the world, it displays brilliantly colored sand dunes that are considered some of the largest in the world. The landscapes include remarkable mountains, naturally carved canyons, tremendous gravel plains, and towering and captivating sand dunes. Salt and clay pans are iconic attractions in the national park. Sossusvlei, Hiddenvlei, and Deadvlei are three of the most visited pans. Sossusvlei is the most renowned, however, all three are known to home to wildlife that is attracted to the salt. Along with the dunes, the park is characterized by rocky outcrops and rock formations that are locally known as kopjes and inselbergs. These rock formations are usually comprised of granite, feldspar, and sandstone. As the desert moves closer to the shoreline, the terrain is characterized by lagoons, mudflats, and wetlands. This terrain and vegetation attract hundreds of thousands of birds creating a birdwatcher’s haven.