| Cuando River | |
|---|---|
 Chobe River atKasane | |
 The Cuando basin | |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Tembo[1] |
| • location | Lutuai,Moxico Province, Angola |
| • coordinates | 13°00′08″S19°07′16″E / 13.00222°S 19.12111°E /-13.00222; 19.12111 |
| • elevation | 1,359 m (4,459 ft) |
| Mouth | Zambezi River |
• location | Caprivi Region,Namibia andChobe District,Botswana |
• coordinates | 18°30′08″S23°36′58″E / 18.50222°S 23.61611°E /-18.50222; 23.61611 |
• elevation | 943 m (3,094 ft) |
| Length | 731 km (454 mi)[2] |
| Basin size | 96,778 km2 (37,366 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Zambezi River →Indian Ocean |
TheCuando (orKwando) is a river in south-central Africa flowing throughAngola and Namibia'sCaprivi Strip and into the Linyanti Swamp on the northern border ofBotswana.[3] Below the swamp, the river is called theLinyanti River and, farther east, theChobe River,[4] before it flows into theZambezi River.
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The Cuando rises in the centralplateau ofAngola on the slopes ofMount Tembo,[5] thence flowing southeast along theZambian border. Along this reach it flows in a maze of channels in a swampy corridor 5–10 km wide (map 1: the border with Zambia is the eastern bank of this floodplain, not the river channel). As with all rivers in south-central Africa, its flow varies enormously between the rainy season when it floods and may be several kilometres wide, and the dry season when it may disappear into marshes.
The Cuando continues in its marshy channel across the neck of theCaprivi Strip ofNamibia (map, 2) and then forms the border between Namibia and Botswana as it continues southeast. Some 10,000 years ago, the Cuando merged with theOkavango River and they flowed south toLake Makgadikgadi (which is a seasonalwetland in current times[6]), but the land in that area wasuplifted. As a consequence the Cuando now meets slightly higher ground (map, 4) and breaks up into many channels and swamps (called the Linyanti Swamp) dotted with alluvial islands, nearly disappearing into theKalahari sands like the Okavango (map, 5). But instead it has diverted east and has beencaptured by the Zambezi. The flow turns sharply east, still forming the border withBotswana. In the dry season there are few open channels through the swamps and marshes. Beginning at this point it is known as the Linyanti (map, 6), and after it flows through a seasonal lake,Lake Liambesi (map, 7), it is called the Chobe (map, 8). The river then flows into theZambezi just above the formerKazungula Ferry (map, 9), now replaced by theKazungula Bridge.
In years when the Okavango experiences a good flood some of the water escapes east along the normally dry channel of the Magwekwana River (also known as Selinda Spillway) into the Linyanti Swamp, thus entering the Zambezi basin. The Selinda Spillway and theBoteti River are the only outlets of theOkavango basin.
On the north side of the Chobe River are the Caprivi Swamps, on the edge of which is the ruined capital of theKololo people who conqueredBarotseland in the 19th century.
So much of the water of the Cuando, Linyanti and Chobe is lost to evaporation in the various swamps that its contribution to the flow of the Zambezi is very small except in occasional years when it floods excessively.
The perennialriver bifurcation of Selinda Spillway (or Magweggana River), on the Cuando River, connects theKalahari Basin to theZambezi Basin.[7]
The Cuando system is noted for its wildlife and for most of its length the land either side is protected as game reserves or wildlife management areas. Some of these suffered poaching during wars and conflict in Namibia and Angola, but with peace restored in those countries they have the chance of returning to their former state.
The national parks through which the Cuando passes or on which it borders are:
