NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Zambezi

The Zambezi (also spelled Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean. The area of its basin is 1,390,000 km² (537,000 miles²)^[1]^[2], slightly less than half that of the Nile. The 2,574 km- (1,600 mile-) long river has its source in Zambia and flows through Angola, along the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique, where it empties into the Indian Ocean. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (872x478, 112 KB)Zambezi river basin. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Mwinilunga is a town in north western Zambia, not far from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... This bridge across the Danube River links Hungary with Slovakia. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different surface areas here is a list of areas between 1 million kmÂ² and 10 million kmÂ². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (â‰ˆ1,609 m) in length. ... The Nile (Arabic: , transliteration: , Ancient Egyptian iteru, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. ...

The Zambezi's most spectacular feature is Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfalls. Other notable falls include the Chavuma Falls at the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngonye Falls, near Sioma in Western Zambia. Over its entire course, the Zambezi is spanned by only five bridges: at Chinyingi, Katima Mulilo, Victoria Falls, Chirundu and Tete. Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Chavuma Falls are a small waterfall on the Zambezi River in northwestern Zambia close to the border with Angola. ... Ngonye Falls, western Zambia Ngonye Falls is a waterfall on the Zambezi river in Western Zambia, near the town of Sioma and a few hundred kilometres upstream from the Victoria Falls. ... Chinyingi is a Capuchin mission and hospital in the sparsely populated North-Western Province of Zambia, on the east banks of the river Zambezi. ... Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo is a small town that serves as the administrative center of the Caprivi Strip of Namibia. ... Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... Chirundu is a town in Zambia near the border with Zimbabwe. ... Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. ...

There are two main sources of hydroelectric power on the river. These are the Kariba Dam, which provides power to Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique which provides power to South Africa. There is also a smaller power station at Victoria Falls. Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Lake Kariba The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin in Southern Africa. ... The Cahora Bassa lake is southern Africas second-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. ...

Course

Source

The river rises in a black marshy bog in north-western Zambia, in undulating forested hills about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. Eastward of the source the watershed between the Congo and Zambezi basins is a well-marked belt of high ground, falling abruptly north and south, and running nearly east-west. This distinctly cuts off the basin of the Lualaba (the main branch of the upper Congo) from that of the Zambezi. In the neighbourhood of the source the watershed is not as clearly defined, but the two river systems do not connect. LÃ¼tt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg in northern Germany. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Lualaba is the largest tributary of the Congo River, running from the vicinity of Lubumbashi north to Kisangani, where the Congo officially begins. ...

The upper river

After flowing to the south-west for about 240 km (150 miles), the river turns south, and is joined by many tributaries. A few miles above Kakengi, the river widens from 100 to 350 metres (330 to 1,150 ft), and below Kakengi are a number of rapids ending in the Chavuma Falls, where the river flows through a rocky fissure. The first of its large tributaries to enter the Zambezi is the Kabompo River in the north-western province of Zambia. A little farther south is the confluence with the Lungwebungu River. The savanna through which the river has flowed gives way to a more open bush valley, studded with Borassus palm trees. Dense vegetation is confined to narrow strips of matted forest which skirt the first few hundred metres of the sources of the Zambezi and its tributaries during the first 160 km (100 miles) or so. Look up tributary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A rapid is a section of a river where it loses elevation over a relatively short distance (that is, the stream gradient is locally steepened), causing an increase in water flow and (usually) turbulence. ... Chavuma Falls are a small waterfall on the Zambezi River in northwestern Zambia close to the border with Angola. ... BIG HARIYRYR TETSICLE ... Confluence of Rhine and Mosel at Koblenz In geography, a confluence describes the point where two rivers meet and become one, usually when a tributary joins a more major river. ... The Lungwebungu River is a a river in southeastern Africa, and the largest tributary of the Zambesi River. ... Savanna at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ...

Zambezi River in North Western Zambia

From 1500 metres (4,900 ft) at the source, the river drops to about 1100 metres (3,600 ft) at Kakengi, 350 km (220 miles) downstream. From this point until the Victoria Falls, the level of the basin is very uniform, dropping only by another 180 metres (590 ft). Thirty kilometers (19 miles) below the confluence of the Lungwebungu the country becomes flat, and in the rainy season is largely covered by floods. Eighty kilometers (50 miles) further down, the Luanginga, which with its tributaries drains a large area to the west, joins the Zambezi. A few kilometres higher up on the east the main stream is joined in the rainy season by overflow of the Luampa/Luena system. Zambezi River in North Western Zambia, close to Zambezi Town. ... Zambezi River in North Western Zambia, close to Zambezi Town. ... Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... The wet season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. ... Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand For other uses, see Flood (disambiguation). ... The Luanginga is a river rising in Angola, which flows into the Zambezi in western Zambia. ...

A short distance downstream of the confluence with the Luanginga is Lealui, one of the capitals of the Lozi people who populate the semi-autonomous Zambian region of Barotseland. The chief of the Lozi has two compounds, the other being at Limulunga. Limulunga is on high ground and serves as the capital during the rainy season. The annual move from Lealui to Limulunga is a major event, celebrated as one of Zambia's best known festivals, the Kuomboka. Lealui is the dry season residence of the Litunga, king of the Lozi people of western Zambia. ... The flag of the Lozi people The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. ... An autonomous (subnational) entity is a subnational entity that has a certain amount of autonomy. ... Barotseland is a region in western Zambia which is the homeland of the Lozi people. ... Limulunga is one of the two compounds of the Litunga, king of the Lozi people of western Zambia. ... The Kings barge Kuomboka is a Luyana name literally meaning â€˜to get out of waterâ€™. It is applied today to a traditional ceremony taking place at the end of the rain season, when the upper Zambezi River floods the plains in western Zambia. ...

After Lealui, the river turns to the south-east. From the east it continues to receive numerous small streams, but on the west is without tributaries for 240 km (150 miles), when the Cuando River joins it. Before this, the Ngonye Falls and subsequent rapids interrupt navigation. South of Ngonye Falls, the river briefly borders Namibia's Caprivi Strip. The strip projects from the main body of Namibia, and results from the colonial era: it was added to German South-West Africa expressly to give Germany access to the Zambezi. Aerial photo of the junction Kuando River (centre left) into the Zambezi River The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ... Ngonye Falls, western Zambia Ngonye Falls is a waterfall on the Zambezi river in Western Zambia, near the town of Sioma and a few hundred kilometres upstream from the Victoria Falls. ... 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... Flag German South-West Africa (black), other German colonies in red Capital Windhoek (from 1891) Political structure Colony Governor - 1898-1905 Theodor von Leutwein - 1905-1907 Friedrich von Lindequist - 1907-1910 Bruno von Schuckmann - 1910-1915 Theodor Seitz Historical era The Scramble for Africa - Established 7 August, 1884 - Genocide 1904...

Below the junction of the Cuando and the Zambezi the river bends almost due east. Here, the river is very broad and shallow, and flows fairly slowly, but as it flows eastward towards the border of the great central plateau of Africa it reaches a chasm into which the Victoria Falls plunge. Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any...

The middle Zambezi

Victoria Falls, the end of the upper Zambezi and beginning of the middle Zambezi

The Victoria Falls are considered the boundary between the upper and middle Zambezi. Below them the river continues to flow due east for about 200 km (120 miles), cutting through perpendicular walls of basalt 20 to 60 metres (65 to 200 ft) apart in hills 200 to 250 metres (650 to 820 ft) high. The river flows swiftly through the gorge, the current being continually interrupted by reefs. Beyond the gorge are a succession of rapids which end 240 km (150 miles) below Victoria Falls. Over this distance, the river drops 250 metres (820 ft). Victoria Falls from the sky, September 2003 Photo by Vberger This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Victoria Falls from the sky, September 2003 Photo by Vberger This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... Basalt Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black volcanic rock. ... A rapid is a section of a river where it loses elevation over a relatively short distance (that is, the stream gradient is locally steepened), causing an increase in water flow and (usually) turbulence. ...

At this point, the river enters Lake Kariba, created in 1959 following the completion of the Kariba Dam. The lake is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, and the hydroelectric power-generating facilities at the dam provide electricity to much of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River basin in Southern Africa (28. ... Lake Kariba The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin in Southern Africa. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ...

The Luangwa and the Kafue are the two largest left-hand tributaries of the Zambezi. The Kafue joins the main river in a quiet deep stream about 180 metres (590 ft) wide. From this point the northward bend of the Zambezi is checked and the stream continues due east. At the confluence of the Luangwa (15°37′ S) it enters Mozambique. Luangwa River, Zambia, southern end near Ndevu The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi river. ... Kafue River, Chamufumbu, near Lubungu Pontoon, Zambia The Kafue River, a major tributary of the Zambezi, rises on the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and flows south westerly through the Lukanga Swamp which it drains. ...

The middle Zambezi ends when the river enters Lake Cahora Bassa (also spelled Cabora Bassa). Formerly the site of dangerous rapids known as Kebrabassa, the lake was created in 1974 by the construction of the Cahora Bassa Dam. The Cahora Bassa lake is southern Africas second-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. ...

The lower river

The lower Zambezi's 650 km (400 miles) from Cahora Bassa to the Indian Ocean is navigable, although the river is shallow in many places during the dry season. This shallowness arises as the river enters a broad valley and spreads out over a large area. Only at one point, the Lupata Gorge, 320 km (200 miles) from its mouth, is the river confined between high hills. Here it is scarcely 200 metres wide. Elsewhere it is from 5 to 8 km (3 to 5 miles) wide, flowing gently in many streams. The river bed is sandy, and the banks are low and reed-fringed. At places, however, and especially in the rainy season, the streams unite into one broad fast-flowing river. The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. ... The Lupata Gorge is a gorge on the Zambezi River in Mozambique. ... The wet season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. ...

About 160 km (100 miles) from the sea the Zambezi receives the drainage of Lake Malawi through the Shire River. On approaching the Indian Ocean, the river splits up into a number of branches and forms a wide delta. Each of the four principal mouths, Milambe, Kongone, Luabo and Timbwe, is obstructed by a sand bar. A more northerly branch, called the Chinde mouth, has a minimum depth at low water of 2 metres at the entrance and 4 metres further in, and is the branch used for navigation. 100 km (60 miles) further north is a river called the Quelimane, after the town at its mouth. This stream, which is silting up, receives the overflow of the Zambezi in the rainy season. The delta of the Zambezi is today about half as broad as it was before the construction of the Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams controlled the seasonal variations in the flow rate of the river. The delta of the Zambezi River photographed from the International Space Station. ... The delta of the Zambezi River photographed from the International Space Station. ... Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, or Lake Niassa after the Yao word for lake (officially called Niassa in Mozambique), is the most southerly lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. ... The Shire is a river in Southern Africa. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... Quelimane (pronounced Kelly-mane) is a seaport in Mozambique, with a population of 153,187 (1997 census). ...

The region drained by the Zambezi is a vast broken-edged plateau 900–1200 metres high, composed in the remote interior of metamorphic beds and fringed with the igneous rocks of the Victoria Falls. At Shupanga, on the lower Zambezi, thin strata of grey and yellow sandstones, with an occasional band of limestone, crop out on the bed of the river in the dry season, and these persist beyond Tete, where they are associated with extensive seams of coal. Coal is also found in the district just below the Victoria Falls. Gold-bearing rocks occur in several places. Quartzite, a form of metamorphic rock, from the Museum of Geology at University of Tartu collection. ... Igneous rocks are formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

Zambezi Basin

NASA false-colour image of the upper Zambezi and Barotse (Balozi) floodplain in extreme flood in 2003, water shows as dark areas. Blue numbers are rivers: 1 Zambezi source, 2 Zambezi at Chavuma Falls, 3 at start of Barotse Floodplain, 4 at end of the floodplain at the Kalongola Ferry, 5 at Ngonye Falls. Tributaries: 6 Chifumage, 7 Luena, 8 Lungwebungu, 9 Kabompo, 10 Luampa, 11 Luanguinga, 12 Lui, 13 Cuando. Towns (white numbers): 14 Mwinilunga, 15 Cazombo, 16 Zambezi, 17 Lukulu, 18 Limulunga, 19 Lealui, 20 Mongu, 21 Senanga, 22 Sioma.^[3] Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC.

The north of the Zambezi basin has mean annual rainfall of 1100 to 1400 mm which declines towards the south, reaching about half that figure in the south-west. The rain falls in a 4 to 6 month rainy season when the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone moves over the basin from the north. Evaporation rates are high (1600mm−2300 mm) and much water is lost this way in swamps and floodplains, especially in the south-west of the basin.^[1] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 339 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (396 Ã— 700 pixel, file size: 61 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Zambezi ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 339 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (396 Ã— 700 pixel, file size: 61 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Zambezi ... The wet season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. ... The thunderstorms of the Intertropical Convergence Zone form a line across the eastern Pacific Ocean. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Tributaries, their basin areas, discharge rates, and region drained

Upper Zambezi: 507200 km², discharges 1044 m³/s at Victoria Falls, comprising:

Middle Zambezi cumulatively 1,050,000 km², 2442 m³/s, measured at Cahora Bassa Gorge Lukulu is a market town in western Zambia, on the Zambezi River. ... The Luena (also spelt Lwena) is a river which rises in Angola, and flows east into the Zambezi, joining it in Zambia. ... BIG HARIYRYR TETSICLE ... The Lungwebungu River is a a river in southeastern Africa, and the largest tributary of the Zambesi River. ... Aerial photo of the junction Kuando River (centre left) into the Zambezi River The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in central Africa. ... Location: Caprivi, Namibia Area: 19,532km² (7,541 mi²) 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...

Lower Zambezi cumulatively, 1,378,000 km², 3424 m³/s, measured at Marromeu The Munyati River (also known as the Umniati River and, for part of its length, as the Sanyati River) is a river in Zimbabwe. ... Kafue River, Chamufumbu, near Lubungu Pontoon, Zambia The Kafue River, a major tributary of the Zambezi, rises on the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and flows south westerly through the Lukanga Swamp which it drains. ... The Copperbelt is a province of Zambia which is very rich in mineral deposits. ... Luangwa River, Zambia, southern end near Ndevu The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. ...

TOTAL ZAMBEZI RIVER BASIN: 1,390,000 km², 3424 m³/s discharged into delta The Shire is a river in Southern Africa. ... Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, or Lake Niassa after the Yao word for lake (officially called Niassa in Mozambique), is the most southerly lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. ...

The Okavango basin is not included in the figures because it only occasionally overflows to any extent into the Zambezi.

Due to the rainfall distribution, northern tributaries contribute much more water than southern ones, for example: the Northern Highlands catchment of the upper Zambezi contributes 25%, Kafue 8%, Luangwa and Shire Rivers 16% each, total 65% of Zambezi discharge. The large Cuando basin in the south-west on the other hand contributes only about 2 m³/s because most is lost through evaporation in its swamp systems.

The 1940s and 1950s were particularly wet decades in the basin. Since 1975, it has been drier, the average discharge being only 70% of that for the years 1930 to 1958.^[1]

Floods

Before the dams were built, the lower Zambezi experienced a small flood surge early in the dry season as rain in the Gwembe catchment and north-eastern Zimbabwe rushed through while rain in the Upper Zambezi, Kafue, and Lake Malawi basins, and Luangwa to a lesser extent, is held back by swamps and floodplains. The discharge of these systems contributed to a much larger flood in March or April, with a mean monthly maximum for April of 6700 m³/s at the delta. The record flood was more than three times as big, 22,500 m³/s being recorded in 1958. By contrast the discharge at the end of the dry season averaged just 500 m³/s.^[1] Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand For other uses, see Flood (disambiguation). ...

The dams at Kariba, Cahora Bassa and Itezhi-Tezhi on the Kafue have changed that pattern completely. Downstream of the dams, the mean monthly minimum—maximum was 500 m³/s—6000 m³/s, now it is 1000 m³/s—3900 m³/s. Medium-level floods especially, of the kind to which the ecology of the lower Zambezi was adapted, happen less often and have a shorter duration. As with the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam's deleterious effects on the Kafue Flats, this has the following effects: Lake Kariba The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin in Southern Africa. ... The Cahora Bassa lake is southern Africas second-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. ... The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam is a dam located on the Kafue River in central Zambia. ... The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam is a dam located on the Kafue River in central Zambia. ...

The dams have not removed flooding in the lower Zambezi completely. They can't control extreme floods, they have just made medium-level floods less frequent. When heavy rain in the lower Zambezi combines with good runoff upstream, massive floods still happen, except they are more destructive because the absence of regular medium floods lures people to settle and farm former floodplains, so that when the flood does occur, it causes more damage. This is what happened in the floods of 1997.^[1] A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... â€œAvesâ€ redirects here. ... Various species of deer are commonly seen wildlife across the Americas and Eurasia. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Grazing To feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

Geological changes to the course of the Zambezi

More than two million years ago, the Upper Zambezi river used to flow south through what is now the Makgadikgadi Pan to the Limpopo River. The land around the pan experienced tectonic uplift (perhaps as part of the African superswell) and a large lake formed, and extended east. Makgadikgadi Pan The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in Botswana. ... Course and Watershed of the Limpopo River The Limpopo River rises in the interior of Africa, and flows generally eastwards towards the Indian Ocean. ... A tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. ... The African superswell is an extraordinary uplift of the African continent, particularly its southern half; southern Africa on average lies a full kilometer above sea level, with seemingly anomalous uplifts extending well into the south Atlantic ocean. ...

Meanwhile, 1000 km east, a western tributary of the Shire River in the Great Rift Valley's southern extension through Malawi eroded a deep valley on its western escarpment. At the rate of a few centimetres per year, this river, the Middle Zambezi, started cutting back the bed of its river towards the west, aided by grabens (rift valleys) forming along its course in an east-west axis. As it did so it captured a number of south-flowing rivers such as the Luangwa and Kafue. The Shire is a river in Southern Africa. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... USGS image Infrared-enhanced satellite image of a graben in the Afar Depression. ... In geology, river capture is an event in which one river or stream captures or intercepts part of another. ... Luangwa River, Zambia, southern end near Ndevu The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. ... Kafue River, Chamufumbu, near Lubungu Pontoon, Zambia The Kafue River, a major tributary of the Zambezi, rises on the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and flows south westerly through the Lukanga Swamp which it drains. ...

Eventually the large lake trapped at Makgadikgadi (or a tributary of it) was captured by the Middle Zambezi cutting back towards it, and emptied eastwards. The Upper Zambezi was captured as well. The Middle Zambezi was about 300 m lower than the Upper Zambezi, and a high waterfall formed at the edge of the basalt plateau across which the upper river flows. This was the first Victoria Falls, somewhere down the Batoka Gorge near where Lake Kariba is now.^[4] For details of how the falls cuts back its bed to form the gorge, see the article on Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any...

Exploration of the river

Satellite image showing Victoria Falls and subsequent series of zigzagging gorges

The Zambezi region was known to medieval geographers as the Empire of Monomotapa, and the course of the river, as well as the position of Lakes Ngami and Nyasa, were given broadly accurately in early maps. These were probably constructed from Arab information. Download high resolution version (1000x662, 169 KB)Victoria Falls seen from the International Space Station. ... Download high resolution version (1000x662, 169 KB)Victoria Falls seen from the International Space Station. ... Victoria Falls with relatively low water in the dry season Africas Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Kingdom of Monomatapa: named after the king who ruled over a Southeast African country that the Africans now call Zimbabwe. ... Lake Ngami is a lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari desert. ... A view of the lake from Likoma Island Lake Malawi, originally known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa and Lake Niassa after the Yao word for lake, is the most southerly lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. ... Languages Arabic other languages (Arab minorities) Religions Predominantly Islam Some adherents of Druze, Judaism, Samaritan, Christianity Related ethnic groups Jews, Canaanites, other Semitic-speaking groups An Arab (Arabic: ); is a member of a Semitic group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to the...

The first European to visit the upper Zambezi was David Livingstone in his exploration from Bechuanaland between 1851 and 1853. Two or three years later he descended the Zambezi to its mouth and in the course of this journey discovered the Victoria Falls. During 1858–60, accompanied by John Kirk, Livingstone ascended the river by the Kongone mouth as far as the Falls, and also traced the course of its tributary the Shire and reached Lake Malawi. David Livingstone (19 March 1813 â€“ 4 May 1873) was a Scottish Presbyterian pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in central Africa. ... The Bechuanaland Protectorate (BP) was a protectorate established in 1885 by Britain in the area of what is now Botswana. ... John Kirk (Dec 19, 1832 â€“ Jan 15, 1922) was a Scottish physician, naturalist, companion to explorer David Livingstone, and British administrator in Zanzibar. ...

For the next 35 years very little exploration of the river took place, but in 1889 the Chinde channel north of the main mouths of the river was discovered. Two expeditions led by Major A. St Hill Gibbons in 1895 to 1896 and 1898 to 1900 continued the work of exploration begun by Livingstone in the upper basin and central course of the river. Portuguese explorer Serpa Pinto examined some of the western tributaries of the river and made measurements of the Victoria Falls in 1878. Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto (April 20, 1846 - December 28, 1900) was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator who crossed southern and central Africa on a difficult expedition and mapped the interior of the continent. ...

Wildlife

The river supports large populations of many animals. Hippopotamuses are abundant along most of the calm stretches of the river, and many crocodiles are also present. Monitor lizards are found in many places. Bird life is abundant, with species including heron, pelican, egret and African Fish Eagle present in large numbers. Riverine woodland also supports many large animals, such as buffalo, zebras, giraffes and elephants. However, below Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams, the cessation of annual flooding has seen the area of this habitat greatly reduced and a corresponding reduction in the populations of the large mammals. Binomial name Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek â€˜Î¹Ï€Ï€Î¿Ï€ÏŒÏ„Î±Î¼Î¿Ï‚ (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant, and three or four recently extinct, species in the family Hippopotamidae. ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... Species Many, see text. ... â€œAvesâ€ redirects here. ... Genera See text. ... Species Pelecanus occidentalis Pelecanus thagus Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Pelecanus onocrotalus Pelecanus crispus Pelecanus rufescens Pelecanus philippensis Pelecanus conspicillatus A pelican is any of several very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under the beak belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae. ... Genera Egretta Ardea An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. ... Binomial name Haliaeetus vocifer (Daudin, 1800) An African Fish Eagle in the Okavango Delta The African Fish Eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer, is a large species of eagle and a bird of prey. ... Categories: Geographical term stubs ... Binomial name Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779) Subspecies The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a bovid from the family of the Bovidae. ... Species Equus zebra Equus hartmannae Equus quagga Equus grevyi The Zebra is a part of the horse family, Equidae, native to central and southern Africa. ... Binomial name Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus â€ Elephas beyeri â€ Elephas celebensis â€ Elephas cypriotes â€ Elephas ekorensis â€ Elephas falconeri â€ Elephas iolensis â€ Elephas planifrons â€ Elephas platycephalus â€ Elephas recki â€ Stegodon â€ Mammuthus â€ Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand For other uses, see Flood (disambiguation). ...

The Zambezi also supports several hundred species of fish, some of which are endemic to the river. Important species include cichlids which are fished heavily for food, as well as catfish, tigerfish, yellowfish and other large species. The bull shark is sometimes known as the Zambezi Shark after the river but is found around the world. It normally inhabits coastal waters but has been found far inland in many large rivers including the Zambezi. It is an aggressive shark which has been responsible for several attacks on humans. A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Genera Cichlids (pronounced â€œsick-lidsâ€) are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Hypophthalmidae Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Parakysidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a diverse group of fish. ... The Tigerfish is an African fish found in many rivers and lakes on the continent. ... Binomial name Labeobarbus codringtonii The Zambezi Yellowfish (Labeobarbus codringtonii) is commonly found throughout the Zambezi and Okavango Rivers in Southern Africa. ... Binomial name Carcharhinus leucas (MÃ¼ller and Henle, 1839) Range of bull shark The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull whaler, Zambezi River shark or colloquially Zambi, is common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts, and well-known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior. ... Rugged coast of the West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ...

Economy

The river and its floodplain near Mongu in Zambia

The population of the Zambezi river valley is estimated to be about 32 million. About 80% of the population of the valley is dependent on agriculture, and the upper river's flood plains provide good agricultural land. Image File history File links The Zambezi river and its floodplain, seen from the international space station. ... Image File history File links The Zambezi river and its floodplain, seen from the international space station. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Floodplain. ...

Communities by the river fish extensively from it, and many people travel from far afield to fish. Some Zambian towns on roads leading to the river levy unofficial 'fish taxes' on people taking Zambezi fish to other parts of the country. As well as fishing for food, game fishing is a significant activity on some parts of the river. Between Mongu and Livingstone, several safari lodges cater for tourists who want to fish for exotic species, and many also catch fish to sell to aquaria. Big-game fishing, sometimes called Offshore sport fishing or Offshore game fishing, is a form of recreational fishing, targeting large bony fish such as tuna and marlin in the open sea, often some distance from land and, in some fishing grounds, out of sight of land. ... Mongu is a town in western Zambia, and the capital of Western Province, Zambia and Barotseland. ... Memorial to David Livingstone Livingstone, main street Livingstone also Maramba is a town and provincial capital in Zambia, located about 10 km from Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River. ... Map of Africa 1890 Look up safari in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Aquarium is also the name of the Russian band, which is also spelled Akvarium A 335,000 gallon (1. ...

The river valley is rich in mineral deposits and fossil fuels, and coal mining is important in places. The dams along its length also provide employment for many people near them, in maintaining the hydroelectric power stations and the dams themselves. Several parts of the river are also very popular tourist destinations. Victoria Falls receives over 1.5 million visitors annually, while Mana Pools and Lake Kariba also draw substantial tourist numbers. Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... // Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Mana Pools is a region of the lower Zambezi River in Zimbabwe where the flood plain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. ... The Kariba Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River basin in Southern Africa (28. ...

Transport

Victoria Falls Bridge. 1975 photo.

The river is frequently interrupted by rapids and so has never been an important long-distance transport route. David Livingstone's Zambezi Expedition attempted to open up the river to navigation by paddle steamer, but was defeated by the Cahora Bassa rapids. Along some stretches, it is often more convenient to travel by canoe along the river rather than on the unimproved roads which are often in very poor condition due to being regularly submerged in flood waters, and many small villages along the banks of the river are only accessible by boat. In the 1930s and 40s a paddle barge service operated on the stretch between the Katombora Rapids, about 50 km upstream from Livingstone, and the rapids just upstream from Katima Mulilo. However, depending on the water level, boats could be paddled through — Lozi paddlers, a dozen or more in a boat, could deal with most of them — or they could be pulled along the shore or carried around the rapids, and teams of oxen pulled barges 5 km over land around the Ngonye Falls.^[5] Image File history File linksMetadata Victoria_Falls_Bridge_over_Zambesi. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Victoria_Falls_Bridge_over_Zambesi. ... A rapid is a section of a river where it loses elevation over a relatively short distance (that is, the stream gradient is locally steepened), causing an increase in water flow and (usually) turbulence. ... David Livingstone (19 March 1813 â€“ 4 May 1873) was a Scottish Presbyterian pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in central Africa. ... A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... A wood-and-canvas canoe evokes the heritage of canoeing in North America A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ... Lozi, also known as Silozi and Rozi, is a Bantu language (of the Niger-Congo language family) that is spoken by the Lozi people primarily in southwestern Zambia and also, to a lesser extent, in surrounding countries. ...

There are only five major road or rail bridges across the river (ignoring any near its source where it's just a rivulet) and at many locations pontoons ferry people and vehicles across the river. Victoria Falls Bridge was the first to be built, and was completed in April 1905. It was initially intended as a link in Cecil Rhodes' scheme to build a railway from Cape Town to Cairo. The bridge is 250 m (820 ft) across, with a main arch spanning 150 m (490 ft), and the top of the bridge is 125 m (410 ft) above the low-water level of the river. A pontoon boat, like this small pleasure boat, typically floats and balances by means of two pontoons oriented in the direction of travel. ... Victoria Falls Bridge The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses over the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls, linking Zimbabwe to Zambia. ... Cecil Rhodes. ... Rhodes: Cape to Cairo The Cape-Cairo Railway is an uncompleted project to cross Africa from south to north by rail. ...

Later bridges were constructed at Chirundu in Zambia (Otto Beit Bridge, 1939, and the second Chirundu Bridge, 2002), at Tete in Mozambique (1960s) and at Katima Mulilo in Namibia. The bridge of that name, opened in 2004, crosses the river from Sesheke in Zambia so completing the TransCaprivi Highway and connecting Lusaka in Zambia with Walvis Bay on the Namibian coast. The Chirundu Bridge now consists of two road bridges side by side across the Zambezi River between the small town of Chirundu, Zambia and the village of Chirundu, Zimbabwe. ... The Chirundu Bridge now consists of two road bridges side by side across the Zambezi River between the small town of Chirundu, Zambia and the village of Chirundu, Zimbabwe. ... The Katima Mulilo Bridge (also known as Bridge 508 in the Namibian Bridge Register) carries the TransCaprivi Highway over the Zambezi River between Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Sesheke, Zambia. ... Sesheke is a town in south western Zambia, lying on the Zambezi River. ... The TransCaprivi Highway is a road running from Walvis Bay in Namibia to the Caprivi Strip, across the Zambezi River to Sesheke in Zambia and on to the Zambian capital of Lusaka. ... Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. ... Walvis Bay, Namibia Walvis Bay, (Dutch/Afrikaans Walvisbaai, meaning Whale Bay), is an area in Namibia with a checkered history. ...

The Chinyingi suspension bridge near the town of Zambezi is a 300 m long footbridge built as a community project. Chinyingi is a Capuchin mission and hospital in the sparsely populated North-Western Province of Zambia, on the east banks of the river Zambezi. ... This article is about the town of Zambezi in Zambia. ...

Ecology

Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique, one of the river's major sources of hydroelectric energy

Sewage effluent is a major cause of water pollution around urban areas, as inadequate water treatment facilities in all the major cities of the region force them to release untreated sewage into the river. This has resulted in eutrophication of the river water and has facilitated the spread of diseases of poor hygiene such as cholera, typhus and dysentery. Image File history File links Lake Cahora Bassa on the Zambezi River in Mozambique. ... Image File history File links Lake Cahora Bassa on the Zambezi River in Mozambique. ... In the context of creating Plutonium at the Hanford Site, effluent refers to the cooling water that is discharged from a nuclear reactor that may or may not be radioactive. ... It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... Eutrophication is caused by the increase of chemical nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus, in an ecosystem. ... Hygiene is commonly understood as preventing infections in personal places through cleanliness. ... Cholera (frequently called Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera) is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Epidemic typhus. ... Dysentery is an illness (formerly known as the bloody flux or simply flux) involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. ...

The construction of two major dams regulating the flow of the river has had a major effect on wildlife and human populations in the lower Zambezi region. When the Cahora Bassa Dam was constructed in 1973, its managers allowed it to fill in a single flood season, going against recommendations to fill over at least two years. The drastic reduction in the flow of the river led to a 40% reduction in the coverage of mangroves, greatly increased erosion of the coastal region and a 60% reduction in the catch of prawns off the mouth due to the reduction in emplacement of silt and associate nutrients. Wetland ecosystems downstream of the dam shrank considerably.
1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as understood by materials science, see Erosion (materials science) For erosion as an English analogy, see Erosion (figurative) For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil... Superfamilies Penaeoidea Aristeidae Benthesicymidae Penaeidae Sicyoniidae Solenoceridae Sergestoidea Luciferidae Sergestidae Prawns are edible, shrimp-like crustaceans, belonging to the sub-order Dendrobranchiata [1]. They are distinguished from the superficially similar shrimp by the gill structure which is branching in prawns (hence the name, dendro=tree; branchia=gill), but is lamellar... Silt is soil or rock derived granular material of a specific grain size. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... An ecosystem, a contraction of ecological and system, refers to the collection of biotic and abiotic components and processes that comprise and govern the behavior of some defined subset of the biosphere. ...

Major towns

Along much of the river's length, the population is sparse, but important towns and cities along its course include the following:

Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo is a small town that serves as the administrative center of the Caprivi Strip of Namibia. ... Mongu is a town in western Zambia, and the capital of Western Province, Zambia and Barotseland. ... Lukulu is a market town in western Zambia, on the Zambezi River. ... Memorial to David Livingstone Livingstone, main street Livingstone also Maramba is a town and provincial capital in Zambia, located about 10 km from Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River. ... Sesheke is a town in south western Zambia, lying on the Zambezi River. ... Victoria Falls from the far side of the gorge Victoria Falls is one of the worlds most spectacular waterfalls. ... Kariba is a town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the northwestern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. ... The word Songo has a number of meanings: The Songo people of northern Angola. ... Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. ...

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