卡拉哈里沙漠是非洲南部的一大平原沙漠。沙漠本身处于同名的卡拉哈里盆地中央。覆盖总面积约900,000平方公里。覆盖博茨瓦纳中南部，奥卡万戈三角洲南面，马卡迪卡迪盐沼南、纳米比亚东南和南非共和国北开普省北的卡拉哈里盆地大部分地区。

沙漠内的气候干燥，潮湿季节为每年的5至10月份，年均降雨量约200毫米。地理学家认为此沙漠在1万6千年前形成。尽管干旱，卡拉哈里沙漠仍有多种植物群。原生植物，包括金合欢和许多其他草药和草。卡拉哈里沙漠还有刺角瓜。即使在卡拉哈里沙漠称为“沙漠”但是不够干燥，作为具有降水量少意义上的沙漠。它不是严格意义上一片荒漠，因为沙漠通常接近100％无降水量。而真正100％无降雨主要区域是在卡拉哈里沙漠西南部（南非西北部和纳米比亚东南部卡拉哈迪跨界公园）。

The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in southern Africa extending 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia (known as South-West Africa from 1894 to 1990), and regions of South Africa. A semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert, such as the Namib Desert to the west. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. The driest areas usually receive 110–200 millimetres (4.3–7.9 in) of rain per year, and the wettest just a little over 500 millimetres (20 in). The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 2,500,000 square kilometres (970,000 sq mi) extending further into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Kalahari is home to many migratory birds and animals. Previously havens for wild animals from elephants to giraffes, and for predators such as lions and cheetahs, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopards and cheetahs can still be found. The area is now heavily grazed and cattle fences restrict the movement of wildlife. Among deserts of the Southern Hemisphere, the Kalahari most closely resembles some Australian deserts in its latitude and its mode of formation. The Kalahari Desert came into existence approximately sixty million years ago along with the formation of the African continent.