River · Mozambique, Zimbabwe
Zambezi
Zambezi is the great river of southern Africa and the longest one in Mozambique. It also forms the northern border of Zimbabwe. Through a wide delta it flows into the Indian Ocean.
Picture credit: Someone35 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Zambezi?
The river starts here: Wetlands of north-western Zambia.
It ends in the Indian Ocean, through the Zambezi delta.
Countries on the river: Mozambique, Zimbabwe.
The story behind it
The Zambezi is famous for one place above all: the Victoria Falls, where the whole river drops into a narrow crack and throws up a cloud of spray that can be seen from far away. Below the falls the water races through dark gorges, then rests in the huge lake behind the Kariba dam, which makes electricity for Zimbabwe and Zambia. Elephants swim between the islands, hippos yawn in the shallows, and fishers hunt the sharp-toothed tigerfish. Because the river separates Zimbabwe from Zambia, people cross by bridge or ferry to visit family and markets. In the rainy season the water rises quickly and spreads over the floodplains, which is good for the soil but hard for villages. At the end the Zambezi splits into many arms in a green delta.
Questions children ask
How long is the Zambezi?
The whole river measures about 2 574 kilometres. Only a part of that lies in Mozambique, where it runs for roughly eight hundred kilometres. It is the fourth longest river of Africa.
Which countries does the Zambezi flow through?
For this article the important countries are Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The river is the longest in Mozambique and draws the northern border of Zimbabwe. On its way it also touches several neighbouring states in southern Africa.
Where does the Zambezi end?
It reaches the Indian Ocean in Mozambique through a broad delta. There the water divides into many arms between reed beds and mangroves. Shrimps and young fish grow up in this shallow, warm maze.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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