History of Zambezi

Umbeluzi, Matola and Tembe rivers) was sourced from a lake (hence its outlet became known as Delagoa Bay). As a result, many old maps show the Zambezi and the 'Espirito Santo' converging deep in the interior, at the same lake.

The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is 1,390,000 square kilometres (540,000 sq mi), slightly less than half that of the Nile. The 3,540-kilometre-long river (2,200 mi) has its source in Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the eastern border of Namibia and the northern border of Botswana, then along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it crosses that country to empty into the Indian Ocean.

The Zambezi's most well-known feature is Victoria Falls. Other notable falls include the Chavuma Falls at the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngonye Falls, near Sioma in Western Zambia.

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 both Mozambique and South Africa. There is also a smaller power station at Victoria Falls.

The road from Kabompo, the M8, is a remarkably good gravel road (gradually being tarred), with relatively few villages and lots of thick teak forests along it. In the dry season the smoke from occasional bush fires will be seen drifting in the sky, above areas of scorched and blackened ground