Mazowe
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Mazowe Mazoe |
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 The Mazowe in the Luenha catchment area (center) |
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Zimbabwe Mozambique
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| River system | Zambezi | |
| Drain over | Luenha → Zambezi → Strait of Mozambique | |
| source | north of Harare 17 ° 33 ′ 0 ″ S , 30 ° 57 ′ 7 ″ E |
|
| Source height | 1274 m | |
| muzzle | in the Luenha coordinates: 16 ° 31 '59 " S , 33 ° 25' 59" O 16 ° 31 '59 " S , 33 ° 25' 59" O |
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| Mouth height | 161 m | |
| Height difference | 1113 m | |
| Bottom slope | 2.8 ‰ | |
| length | 400 km | |
| Catchment area | 38,900 km² | |
| Left tributaries | Madsamba, Metangua | |
| Right tributaries | Nyagui, Nyadire | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Mazowe Lake | |
The Mazowe (until 1980 Mazoe ) is a river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique . Mazowe means "river of elephants".
course
The river has its source in Zimbabwe in the province of Central Machonaland north of Harare and is dammed soon after from Mazoe Dam ( Lage ) to Mazowe Lake. Like the Chiveo and Manyame reservoirs of the Hunyani , it is a popular destination. A sailing club has existed there since 1936.
The river initially runs in an easterly direction. At the mouth of the Nyagui it swings to the northeast, about 150 km further, at the mouth of the Nyadire, to flow again in an easterly direction. After another 50 km it reaches the border with Mozambique, which it forms for about 30 km. After another 50 km it finally flows into the Luenha, shortly before it flows into the Zambezi again.
economy
The river is the only navigable one in Zimbabwe. Chrome ore is transported on it from Harare to Mozambique on the Zambezi , into which the Mazowe flows over the Luenha after about 400 km.
Although the river carries sufficient water and is dammed in the upper reaches by numerous dams, there are distribution problems. A lot of land is irrigated by it, especially citrus fruit plantations.
history
The Mazowetal is of historical importance. The center of a successor state of Greater Zimbabwe , the Munhumutapa empire of the Karanga , has been here since the 15th century (the 11th century is doubtful.) The state controlled and the gold trade to the coast. One of the most important chiefs' seats was Massapa in the Mazowetal next to Chicanga in the highlands of Inyanga (now Nyanga National Park ) and Quiteve in the lowlands of Mozambique. In contrast to the southern Shona states, this state left no representative stone buildings, only small stone hill forts.
Interesting in the Mazowetal are the old irrigation systems, which are neither influenced by Arabs nor Europeans and were also found in the south of Zimbabwe. This system consists of moats along the mountain slopes, the slope of which is precisely calculated. Excavating them, even more than the ruins of Zimbabwe, requires extensive social organization with a significant number of workers, as they irrigate the Mazowetal from Inyanga to the Zambezi.
In 1569 the Portuguese sent a military expedition to the Mutapa area, but it failed. But from then on they managed to control the gold trade. It was not until the early 17th century that they were able to conquer the chief areas of Karanga, including Mutapa, with local soldiers. Small Portuguese settlements were established, the most important of which is Dambarare in the upper Mazowetal.
Naming
In many sources the Mazowe and the Luenha are equated, although they are two different rivers. Whether the Mazowe flows into the Luenha or vice versa is often shown differently. Most of the official maps designate the Luenha as the main river.
Web links
- Water distribution problems at the Mazoe (study on the current situation and chances of mastering them by organizing interested parties without government assistance)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Soviet General Staff Map , accessed via http://loadmap.net/
- ^ Bertelsmann: The great world atlas. Published by Bertelsmann Lexikon Institut. Knowledge Media Verlag, ISBN 3-577-07222-9 .
- ↑ Claudious Chikozho: Stakeholder Participatory Processes and Dialogue Platforms in the Mazowe River Catchment, Zimbabwe. (No longer available online.) In: African Studies Quarterly, Volume 10, No. 2 u. 3. 2008, archived from the original on May 31, 2010 ; accessed on May 22, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Tracks4Africa - Travel Africa Informed
- ↑ Soviet General Staff Map , accessed via http://loadmap.net/
