The Skeleton Coast Park occupies the entire coastal portion of the Kunene Region, stretching some 500 kilometres and covering 17,450 square kilometres between the ephemeral Ugab River in the south and the perennial Kunene River in the north. The Park is characterised by extreme aridity, frequent fog and southerly winds. Offshore, the cold Benguela Current and its associated upwelling system is rich in nutrients and makes for cool conditions on the coast. Most of the coastline consists of sandy beaches and rocky headlands with salt pans and gravel plains inshore. Several ephemeral rivers cut across the desert, sometimes bringing life-giving fresh water to the coast. The mouth of the Kunene River is an important habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, turtles and other wildlife. The area between the Hoanib River and the Kunene River was first established as the Skeleton Coast Park in 1971, and then expanded to its present size when the stretch between the Hoanib River and the Ugab River was added in 1973. The entire eastern border of the Park, which is between 25 and 50 kilometres from the coast, now adjoins eight communal conservancies and one tourism concession area. The Park also lies adjacent to the Iona National Park in Angola and the newly-proclaimed Dorob National Park to the south. Only a few hundred people live in the Skeleton Coast Park as well as in the very arid areas immediately to its east.