Kazungula

Map showing the Botswana-Namibia-Zambia-Zimbabwe near-quadripoint (circled)
Aerial photo of Kazungula (centre right) on the Zambezi River.
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 this map.

Kazungula is a small border town in the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the north bank of the Zambezi River about 70 kilometres (45 mi) west of Livingstone.

At Kazungula the territories of four countries (Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) come close to meeting at a quadripoint. It has now been agreed that the international boundaries contain two tripoints joined by a short line roughly 150 metres (490 ft) long forming a boundary between Zambia and Botswana. The ever-shifting river channels and the lack of any known agreements addressing the issue before 2000, led to some uncertainty in the past as to whether or not a quadripoint legally existed.[1][2] Thus, Botswana has only about 150 metres (490 ft) of river frontage on the Zambezi, being sandwiched on the south bank between the extreme tip of Namibia's Caprivi Strip and Zimbabwe.

The Chobe River, which divides Namibia and Botswana, enters the Zambezi near Kazungula.

Kazungula is also headquarters of a district of Zambia of the same name.

Transport

Kazungula is home to the Kazungula Ferry across the 400 m (1,300 ft) wide river to Kazungula in Botswana, 8 km (5 mi) east of the town of Kasane, one of the largest ferries in the region with a capacity of 70 tonnes (69 long tons; 77 short tons). A bridge[3] is to replace it; the ground-breaking ceremony was held on 12 September 2014.[4] Kazungula lies just 2 km (1.2 mi) from the Livingstone-Sesheke road which connects to the Katima Mulilo Bridge linking Zambia and Namibia.

The border post between Zimbabwe and Botswana, 4.5 km (2.8 mi) (by road) south-east of the Kazungula Ferry, is also called Kazungula.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Brownlie, Ian; Ian R. Burns (1979). "Botswana-Zambia (Quadripoint issue)". African Boundaries: A Legal and Diplomatic Encyclopaedia. London: C. Hurst & Co. pp. 1098–1108. ISBN 0-903983-87-7.; summarized at African tripoints: Botswana-Namibia-Zambia by Michael Donner / Jesper Nielsen.
  2. ↑ Akweenda, Sackey (1997-04-23). "VI: Quadripoint Theory". International Law and the Protection of Namibia's Territorial Integrity. Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff. pp. 201–3. ISBN 90-411-0412-7.
  3. ↑ http://www.gazettebw.com/?p=8920
  4. ↑ http://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/09/13/zambia-botswana-officially-launche-construction-works-kazungula-bridge-across-zambezi-river/

Coordinates: 17°47′S 25°16′E / 17.783°S 25.267°E / -17.783; 25.267

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