The Okavango River is a river in southwest Africa. It begins in Angola, where it is known as the Cubango River. Further south it forms part of the border between Angola and Namibia, and then flows into Botswana. For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A river is a large natural waterway. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and third most populous. ...
Before it enters Botswana, the river drops 4 m in a series of rapids known as Popa Falls.
Unusually, the Okavango does not have an outlet in the sea. Instead, it empties into a swamp in the Kalahari Desert, known as the Okavango Delta. Part of the river's flow fills Lake Ngami. World famous for its remarkable wildlife, the Okavango is also home to about 100,000 native people who are caught between the interests of tourist operators and insurgents in the neighbouring Caprivi Strip. The Kalahari Desert is a large, arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Africa that covers about 500,000 km². It covers 70% of Botswana, and parts of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. ... The Okavango Delta is home to many elephants and other creatures. ... Lake Ngami is a lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari desert. ... Location: Caprivi, Namibia Area: 19,532km (7,541 mi ) Population: 79,852 (2001), 90,422 (1991) Capital: Katima Mulilo Time Zone: South African Standard Time: UTC+1 Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip or Caprivi Region and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about 450km...
The OkavangoRiver, which originates in the highlands of east-central Angola, flows through Namibia.
The Okavango Delta consists of a maze of meandering channels, often choked with dense masses of papyrus and other aquatic plants; many shallow, water-filled basins; and numerous islands, or elevated wooded areas that remain dry during flooding.
Rapidly growing cattle populations to the south and west of the delta have damaged the wildlife habitat by overgrazing and overburdening the water supply.
As the OkavangoRiver left the humid highlands and entered the arid flatness of the Kalahari, it slowed and dropped its sediment load.
The geology of the Okavango is still inherently unstable, as the faults continue to move and earth tremors occur.
The Okavango offers an oasis of habitat for prolific plant and animal life in a personified state of "balance in nature." Two plants dominate the Delta's perennial swamps: papyrus, a giant sedge (type of grass) which grows naturally only in Africa, and the willowy phoenix palm.
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