17 Fascinating Zambezi River Facts You Should Know About!

Zambezi River is one of the longest rivers situated in the continent of Africa.

The river is also known by its other names, which include Zambesi and Zambese. Vasco da Gama was the first European to have found the river in 1498 during his travels.

Zambezi River gets its name from the people who lived in the north by a great lake. It is also believed that the river is protected by the Nyami Nyami, God of the Zambezi River Valley, as well as its guardian.

Nyami Nyami is described as a creature that has the body of a snake and the head of a fish. The Zambezi River basin area is considered to be half of that of the Nile.

Read on to explore more surprising facts about this great river.

What is Zambezi River known for?

Zambezi River is a popular tourist attraction in Africa. It is considered to be a lifeline as well as a constant income source for millions of people dependent on the river in one way or another. Some interesting facts about the popularity of the Zambezi River are mentioned as follows.

Zambezi River is known to be the fourth-longest river in Africa.

The river also has other titles as being the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest river which flows into the Indian Ocean from Africa.

The beauty of the river attracts a high number of tourists to watch the animals that call it home, participate in various water sports, as well as other adventurous activities.

One of the most popular waterfalls, called Victoria Falls, is located along the Zambezi River.

Victoria Falls is one of the world's seven natural wonders and is also a World Heritage Site.

Other noteworthy falls located on the Zambezi River includes Chavuma Falls, which is situated on the Angola and Zambia border, and Ngonye Falls, located near Sioma, Western Zambia.

There are also two important hydroelectric power sources situated on the Zambezi River.

The first one is the Kariba Dam, built on the Kariba Gorge in the Zambezi River.

Kariba Dam is a double curvature dam with a concrete arch.

Kariba Dam provides power to both Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The construction of the dam began in 1955 and was opened in 1959.

The dam also forms a lake which has been named Lake Kariba.

The other hydroelectric power source is Cahora Bassa Dam, located in Mozambique.

The Cahora Bassa Dam powers South Africa and Mozambique.

The construction of Cahora Bassa Dam was completed in 1974 after there were political issues involved.

In addition to these two dams, there are other minor power stations located along the Zambezi River too.

One of the smaller power stations is built at Victoria Falls, while the other one is situated near Kalene Hill, Ikelenge district.

Zambezi River also has some of the most exciting white water river rafting in the world.

About 24 scary and exciting rapids are created in the river stretch below Victoria Falls and winding around the Batoka Gorge.

The rapids have grades that range from grade III to the highest grading, which is grade V.

The rapids in the Batoka Gorge include The Gnashing Jaws of Death, The Ugly Stepsisters, Oblivion, Morning Glory, and The Devil's Toilet Bowl.

Even though the river is quite long, there are surprisingly only a few bridges across the water body.

Some of the well-known bridges include Tete Suspension Bridge located in Mozambique, the Katima Mulilo Bridge, which connects Namibia and Zambia through Sesheke, the Otto Beit Bridge situated in Chirundu, Zimbabwe, and the famous Victoria Falls Bridge.

The river offers crystal clear waters as well as sandy beaches along the banks in several places.

It also offers great opportunities for boating and fishing as well as just relaxing and watching the colorful sunsets.

For people who love adventurous sports and activities, there are activities such as bungee jumping, river rafting, and canoeing.

What is the source and mouth of the Zambezi River?

Each river has a source from which it originates and is the place from where the river starts. On the other hand, the mouth of a river is the place where the river merges with a larger water body or even another river. Some facts about the mouth and source of the Zambezi River are listed below.

The start of the Zambezi River is a marshy black dumbo which is one of the complex shallow wetlands generally found in eastern, central, and western Africa.

The river's source is located in the central region of the Miombo Woodlands.

The location of the Zambezi River's source is about south of Ikelebge District and north of Mwinilunga within north-western Zambia.

The source of the Zambezi River is located well above sea level.

The area surrounding the source has been designated as a national monument that has a forest reserve as well as a significant bird area.

There are three distinct regions of the Zambezi River; Upper Zambezi, Middle Zambezi, and Lower Zambezi.

Upper Zambezi starts from the source and lasts until Victoria Falls.

One of the notable points of this region of Zambezi River is Barotse Floodplain which doesn't get too flooded in the north.

Upper Zambezi and Middle Zambezi are divided by Victoria Falls.

In Middle Zambezi, the river flows in an east direction and more swiftly along Batoka Gorge, where the current is interrupted at several points due to reefs.

This region of the river ends when it enters Lake Cahora Bassa, and Lower Zambezi starts.

There are many areas in Lower Zambezi where the water is shallow during the summer season.

The shallowness arises when the river moves forward in a broad valley and spreads itself over a large area.

Lower Zambezi ends when the river merges with the Indian Ocean.

This point of contact between the Zambezi River and the Indian Ocean forms the mouth of the river.

The main tributaries of the Zambezi River on the left side include Lungwebungu River, Chobe River, Sanyati River, and Luanginga River, while on the right side, it includes Kabompo River, Shire River, and Luangwa River.

Zambezi's delta, where the river flows into the Indian Ocean, became less broad after the construction of the Cahora Bassa and Kariba dams.

The Zambezi delta has both permanently and seasonally flooded swamp forests, savannas, and grasslands.

Before the dams were built, the river delta had seasonal flooding, which brought nutrient-rich fresh water to the coastal wetlands near the Indian Ocean.

More than 2 million years ago, the upper region of Zambezi flowed through a region which is now called Makgadikgadi Pan, located in Botswana.

A vast lake was created due to a tectonic shift and thus the river shifted its flow in the east direction.

During the rainy season, the parts of the river that gets flooded are abandoned as people move away towards the high ground in order to escape the damage caused by the floods.

Wildlife In The Zambezi River

Zambezi River doesn't just serve different purposes for humans, but it also is home to different wildlife. While some ecosystems directly live in the river water, there are others that make a habitat out of the surrounding area of the river. Some amazing facts about the wildlife living and getting sustenance from Zambezi River are mentioned below.

The river acts as a support to a large number of animal species.

There is an abundance of hippopotamuses living in the parts of the river that are calm and tranquil.

These parts of the river are also inhabited by Nile crocodiles.

Monitor lizards can also be found in many places along the course of the river.

An abundance of bird species are also seen in the surrounding areas of the river.

Some of these bird species include pelican, heron, egret, African fish eagle, and lesser flamingo, which can be found in large numbers.

Riverine woodland is also home to large animals such as elephants, zebras, giraffes, and buffalo.

Within Zambezi River, there are several hundred fish species living and thriving.

Some of the significant species of fish found in the river include yellowfish, tigerfish, catfish, and cichlids.

Cichlids are fished heavily in order to serve as a food source.

There are also some larger species of fish that live in the river.

The bull shark lives in this river and as such, is sometimes referred to as the Zambezi shark.

The Zambezi shark is not the same as Glyphis, a freshwater shark genus inhabiting the river.

In and around the delta region, there are large mammals that can be found living and hunting for their prey.

These large mammals include cheetah, leopard, lion, side-stripped jackal, and spotted hyena.

There are various species of migratory water birds that can be found in the floodplain areas of the river.

These birds include saddle-billed stork, great white pelican, wattled crane, garganey, pintails, and African openbill.

In addition to crocodiles and lizards, snakes are another reptile that inhabit the river and the surrounding area.

The different snake species present in the area are worm snake, dwarf wolf snake, floodplain water snake, and the African rock python.

The river is a source of drinking water for mammals and other animals living in the areas near the river.

The smaller animals, in turn, become prey for the crocodiles living in the water.

The population of the wildlife in and around the river is declining due to the threat of hunting.

The shrinking area of the wetlands and the civil disputes in the past also caused a decrease in the wildlife population.

There is a high possibility of the population of wildlife increasing in the floodplains as there are no conflicts and more damming options are being discussed.

Marromue Game Reserve, located near Beira city, offers a protected area within the floodplains.

Zambezi River flows through which countries?

Zambezi River is one of the important rivers in Africa. Due to this long length and many tributaries, this river is able to flow through many countries. Some intriguing facts about the countries through which the Zambezi River flows are listed below.

Flowing towards the Indian Ocean, the Zambezi River flows through six countries.

The rise of the river starts in Zambia, from where it moves in the east direction.

There are flows through the eastern side of Angola, also known as the Republic of Angola, the seventh-largest country in Africa.

It then flows towards the northeastern side where the border of Namibia lies.

Flowing in the same direction, the river passes along the border of Botswana on the northern side.

Then it continues to flow along the border of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and then to Mozambique.

In Mozambique, the delta forms near the Mozambique channel from where it meets the Indian Ocean.

The country with the largest section of the river is Zambia, while the smallest stretch of the river is in Botswana.

Zambezi River creates a border between Zambia and Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as Zambia and Namibia.