Okavango River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Okavango | |
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Mouth | Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Botswana |
Basin countries | Angola, Namibia, Botswana |
Length | 1,600 km (1,000 mi) |
Avg. discharge | 41,800 m³/s (1,476,376 ft³/s) (incorrect, 350-1000 m³/s) |
Basin area | 530,000 Mm² |
The Okavango River is a river in southwest Africa. It is the fourth longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for 1,000 miles (1,600 km). 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, draining into the Moremi Wildlife Reserve.
Before it enters Botswana, the river drops 4 meters, across the full 1.2km-width of the river, in a series of rapids known as Popa Falls, visible when the river is low, as during the dry season.[1]
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 area contains the Moremi Wildlife Reserve (Botswana).
The area is also home to about 100,000 people.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Siyabona Africa Travel (Pty) Ltd, "Popa Falls | Okavango River | Botswana" webpage: TravelZA-PopaFalls
[edit] External links
- Safari in the Delta
- Map of the Okavango River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
- Map of the Okavango Delta at RhinoAfrica