Kazungula, Zambia
Zambia is on the right; Namibia at the top on the left; Botswana in the middle on the left and Zimbabwe bottom all the way across the bottom of the picture. The Zimbabwe / Botswana border runs only just this side of the ferry pier - or perhaps actually through it, see -17.793702,25.262921 on Google Maps.
Kazungula is a small border town in the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the north bank of the Zambezi River about 70 km west of Livingstone, at an almost quadripoint where four countries nearly meet. It is home to the Kazungula Ferry across the 400 m wide river to Kazungula in Botswana, 8 km east of the town of Kasane, one of the largest ferries in the region with a capacity of 70 tonnes. A bridge[1] is to replace it; the ground-breaking ceremony was held on 12 September, 2014.[2]
Transport
Kazungula lies just 2 km from the Livingstone-Sesheke road which connects to the Katima Mulilo Bridge linking Zambia and Namibia. Kazungula is also headquarters of a district of the same name.
In August 2007 the governments of Zambia and Botswana announced a deal to construct a bridge at the site to replace the ferry.[3] The existence of a short boundary of about 150 metres between Zambia and Botswana was apparently agreed to during various meetings involving heads of state and/or officials from all four states in 2006-10 and is shown in the African Development Fund project map,[4] (matching the US Department of State Office of the Geographer depiction in Google Earth.) Thus, Botswana has only about 150 metres of river frontage on the Zambezi, being sandwiched on the south bank between the extreme tip of Namibia's Caprivi Strip and Zimbabwe, hence the near meeting point of four countries. The Chobe River, which divides Namibia and Botswana, enters the Zambezi near Kazungula.
The border post between Zimbabwe and Botswana, 4.5 km (by road) south-east of the Kazungula Ferry, is also called Kazungula.
References
- ↑ http://www.gazettebw.com/?p=8920
- ↑ http://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/09/13/zambia-botswana-officially-launche-construction-works-kazungula-bridge-across-zambezi-river/
- ↑ "Zambia and Botswana reach Kazungula bridge deal." Palapye News blog. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
- ↑ Darwa, P. Opoku (2011). Kazungula Bridge Project. African Development Fund. p. Appendix IV. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- Google Earth accessed 4 May 2012.
- Camerapix: Spectrum Guide to Zambia Camerapix International Publishing, Nairobi, 1996.
- Terracarta/International Travel Maps, Vancouver Canada: Zambia, 2nd edition, 2000.