Kafue river

The Kafue River supports one of the world's most diverse wildlife ecosystems. It is a significant tributary of the Zambezi, and it is the most central and urban of Zambia's major rivers, as well as the longest (approximately 960 km) and it is in 1st the longest rivers in Zambia. The Kafue River rises about 1350 meters above sea level on a relatively flat plateau immediately south of Zambia's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, 120 kilometers north-west of Chingola in the Copperbelt Province.

The river begins as a trickle from the swampy dambos (the Munyanshi Swamp is a tributary) and, with little slope to speed up river flow, meanders sluggishly south-eastwards, acquiring the character of a mature river within 50 kilometers. cean. During the rainy season, the area receives about 1200 mm of rain, and the river's channel soon reaches 100 meters wide, with a floodplain of fluvial dambos 1-2 kilometers wide. However, before reaching the Copperbelt towns, the river loses its large floodplain, the channel narrows to 30-40 meters, and the river meanders less, ending up in a small valley only 40 meters below the surrounding plateau. It passes through the fringes of Nchanga and Kitwe, as well as the Copperbelt settlements of Chililabombwe, Chingola, and Mufulira.

The Hippo Pool, a famous picnic location north of Chingola, has been designated as a national monument. Water is diverted from the river in the Copperbelt to irrigate small farms and market gardens. It shifts course to the south-west near Kitwe, flowing through woods and flat rock areas, which it floods in the wet season, but keeps to a 50-meter-wide channel in the dry season. In a swampy floodplain with oxbow lakes and lagoons, it subsequently builds intricate meanders and a maze of channels. It flows 20 kilometers west of the Lukanga Swamp's permanent section, which fills a circular depression and drains into the Kafue through a channel.

Length: 960 Km