Zambezi steep slope

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As Zambezi Escarpment ( English Zambezi Escarpment ) the very difficult to overcome valley slopes either side of the Zambezi River between Livingstone and Tete referred, especially the part under Mount Darwin in Zimbabwe and the part to Siavonga and Maamba on Karibastausee in Zambia .

geography

The Zambezi Valley is a deep gorge between Victoria Falls and Tete that separates the Zambian plateau from the Zimbabwean plateau. The slopes that descend into the valley are very steep and even vertical for many kilometers. They are insurmountable even for wild animals. Before bridges and dams were built, the Zambezi Valley was only passable at Ingombe Ilede and Zumbo , where the mouths of the Lusitu and Luangwa rivers had washed away the steep slopes and there were passable paths on the opposite side of the valley.

The riverside regions to the right and left of the Zambezi are national parks or wildlife sanctuaries between Victoria Falls and Zumbo. On the valley side of Zimbabwe are the Victoria Falls National Park , Chizarira National Park , Matusadona National Park , Chete , Chirisa , Mana Pools National Park , Sapi and Chewore . On the valley side of Zambia are Mosi-oa-Tunya and Lower Zambezi National Park . In Mozambique there are safari areas on both sides.

The steep slopes of the Zambezi are unsuitable for human settlement and for livestock farming. The soils are thin and barren, the rocks washed out by erosion. Bushland and Miombowald dominate the river over a distance of up to 100 kilometers. Up until the 19th century, the steep slopes of the Zambezi were in fact insurmountable.

Economic development

On the edge of the abyss on the western basalt steep slope of the Batoka Gorge ten kilometers southeast of the Victoria Falls between the 19th and 20th rapids is the Gorges Lodge , a 20-bed hotel accommodation of the upscale category. You can look 250 meters down from the verandas of the restaurant or the ten individual houses. The gorge is between 20 and 60 meters wide, the water is around 70 meters deep, according to information from local guides, and the water level varies by 20 meters between the dry and rainy seasons . The lodge was built on rented private tribal land; The project also tries to let the community share in its profits by promoting a self-help organization for local women and children.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is planning to build another Zambezi dam in the Batoka Gorge. Environmentalists therefore fear for the region's flora and fauna.

literature

  • Paul Murray: Zimbabwe - the Bradt Travel Guide. With a foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE . Edited by Bradt Travel Guide Ltd., UK, and The Globe Prequopt Press Inc., USA, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84162-295-8 .