Some coastal areas of the Namib Desert have one or more sets of dunes running parallel to the shoreline directly inland from the beach. In most cases, the dunes are important in protecting the land against potential ravages by storm waves from the sea. 
 
Located in Namibia, the Namib Desert is an effortlessly beautiful landscape that shows its age with ancient scars carved into the earth. Unique shapes and patterns form over great lengths of time as the winds whip to transform, shape and move this majestic landscape. The Namib Desert stretches 1,000 miles along the Atlantic coast of Southern Africa making Namibia one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with a population of 2.1 million people.