Sua Pan

{{short description|Topographic depression in the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana}}

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| city = Sowa

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The Sua Pan or Sowa Pan is a large natural topographic depression within the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana. It is located near the village of Sowa, whose name means salt in the language of the San.[http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/attractions/sowa_pan.html Sowa Pan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220190142/http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/attractions/sowa_pan.html |date=2011-02-20 }}. Botswana Tourism Board.{{cite book

| title = Southern Africa

| edition = 4th

| author = Murphy, Alan

| publisher = Lonely Planet

| date = 2007

| page = 99

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AijmBeQ9_r8C&q=sua+sowa+pan&pg=PA99

| isbn = 978-1-74059-745-6

| oclc = 156530975

}} The Sua salt pan is one of three large pans within the Makgadikgadi, the other two being Nxai Pan and Nwetwe Pan.B.R. Davies, 1986

The Sua Pan was first described to the European world by David Livingstone, pursuant to his explorations in this region.D. Livingstone, 1868 Significant archaeological recoveries have been made within the Nwetwe Pan, featuring Stone-Age tools from peoples who lived in this area{{Cite book|url=https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789401775199|title=Africa from MIS 6-2: Population Dynamics and Paleoenvironments|date=2016|publisher=Springer Netherlands|isbn=9789401775199|editor-last=Jones|editor-first=Sacha C.|series=Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology|doi=10.1007/978-94-017-7520-5|s2cid=12509903|editor-last2=Stewart|editor-first2=Brian A.}} when a large year-round lake occupied the Sua and Nwetwe Pans.{{Cite journal|last1=Burrough|first1=Sallie L.|last2=Thomas|first2=David S.G.|last3=Bailey|first3=Richard M.|date=July 2009|title=Mega-Lake in the Kalahari: A Late Pleistocene record of the Palaeolake Makgadikgadi system|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|volume=28|issue=15–16|pages=1392–1411|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.02.007|bibcode=2009QSRv...28.1392B}}

The Brines of Sua Pan being one of the largest playa lakes in the world spans approximately 24,000 square kilometers. While sodium chloride is the prime constituent, there are many other salts found within this area such as sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate, and minor amounts of potassium chloride (potash).{{Cite journal|author=Republic of Botswana|date=November 24, 1980|title=Botswana Soda-ash Study Contract No. AID/SOD/PDC-C-0407|url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAY142.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221163651/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAY142.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 21, 2017|journal=The Brines of Sua Pan|publisher=United States Agency for International Development}}

Currently, Sua Pan is a seasonal lake; it fills with water during the Summer rainy season and retains water until April or May brought from the Nata River.{{Cite web|url=http://www.itravelto.com/makgadikgadi-pans-climate.html|title=Makgadikgadi Pans Climate - Makgadikgadi Botswana|website=www.itravelto.com}} Among the more successful wildlife conservation projects in Botswana was the community-initiated Nata Bird Sanctuary in the northeast of this area. It opened in 1993 and was awarded that year the "Tourism for Tomorrow Award" for the Southern Hemisphere.{{cite book|author=Chris McIntyre|title=Botswana: Okavango Delta, Chobe, Northern Kalahari|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781841623085|url-access=registration|access-date=12 April 2011|year=2010|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-308-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781841623085/page/387 387]–}} It is supported by members of four nearby villages, who have helped make it a success.

One of the tributaries of the Sua Pan is the Mosetse River. The village of Mosetse is named for it and lies along the river.