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48-535: The Cubango and Cuito Rivers are the principal tributaries of the Okavango Delta , and affect its health. In Angola, the upper reaches of the Cuito suffers clogging due to controlled burns of the vegetation, reducing water flow downstream as the accumulated water instead flows into the sand . Before it enters Botswana, the river drops 4 m (13 ft) in a series of rapids known as Popa Falls, visible when

96-569: A hydropower station in the Zambezi Region , which would regulate the Okavango's flow to some extent. While proponents argue that the effect would be minimal, environmentalists argue that this project could destroy most of the rich animal and plant life in the delta. Other threats include local human encroachment and regional extraction of water in both Angola and Namibia. South African filmmaker and conservationist Rick Lomba warned in

144-559: A 250 km pipeline to divert water from the river into Namibia to help relieve the drought. Botswana, however, uses the Okavango Delta for both tourism income and a water source. The Department of Water Affairs in Botswana has submitted that 97% of the water in the river is lost through evaporation, so the country cannot afford to lose any extra water. Namibia, in turn, has argued that it will only divert half of one percent of

192-441: A big flood year, the seasonal swamp stretches to 150 km across from east to west; one of the factors that leads to the ever-changing nature of the delta is the flatness of the area. If one were to take a cross section of the delta at its widest point, one would find that the height variation from the mean over that 150 km is less than 2 m, which means that a minor sand deposition can cause major changes. In very wet years,

240-520: A few Wayeyi live in their putative ancestral home in the Caprivi Strip. Within the past 20 years many people from all over the Okavango have migrated to Maun, the late 1960s and early 1970s over 4,000 Hambukushu refugees from Angola were settled in the area around Etsha in the western Panhandle. The Okavango Delta has been under the political control of the Batawana (a Tswana nation) since

288-844: A higher than usual flow into the Okavango, turning swathes of outlying desert into a huge wetland. Although the summer rains fall in Angola in January, they take a whole month to travel the first 1,000 km of the Okavango River, and then they take a further four months to filter through the plants and numerous channels of the final 250 km of the delta. As a result, the flood is at its biggest sometime between June and August, during Botswana's dry winter months. The delta then swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from kilometres around and creating one of Africa's greatest concentrations of wildlife . At its widest point in

336-402: A mixture of the palm Hyphaene petersiana and acacias . The plants of the delta play an important role in providing cohesion for the sand. The banks or levees of a river normally have a high mud content, and this combines with the sand in the river’s load to continuously build up the river banks. The river’s load In the delta consists almost entirely of sand, because the clean waters of

384-455: A part of the Kalahari was a massive lake, known as Lake Makgadikgadi . In this time, the Okavango would have been one of its largest tributaries. Both Namibia and Botswana experience drought, and as a result, concerns have been expressed about possible conflict over use of the river's water. Namibia has built a water canal, measuring about 300 km long, and has proposed a project to build

432-599: A part of the river's flow may extend along the Magweggana River (actually a northeastern distributary of the Okavango Delta) and enter the Zambezi River , bypassing the Kalahari. The river carries annually 28,000 tonnes of suspended sediment and a similar amount of bedload to the terminal swamps. Most of the particulate sediment carried by the river is fine sand, with some silt and mud, thanks to

480-629: A protected area for wildlife. It now provides the core area for much of the resident wildlife when the waters rise. The Delta's profuse greenery is not the result of a wet climate; rather, it is an oasis in an arid country. The average annual rainfall is 450 mm (18 in) (approximately one-third that of its Angolan catchment area) and most of it falls between December and March in the form of heavy afternoon thunderstorms. December to February are hot wet months with daytime temperatures as high as 40 °C (104 °F), warm nights, and humidity levels fluctuating between 50 and 80%. From March to May,

528-404: A tree then takes root on the mound of soil. Chief's Island ( 19°12′S 22°48′E  /  19.200°S 22.800°E  / -19.200; 22.800 ), the largest island in the delta, was formed by a fault line which uplifted an area over 70 km long (43 mi) and 15 km wide (9.3 mi). Historically, it was reserved as an exclusive hunting area for the chief, but is now

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576-642: Is a vast inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert . It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the few interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is largely intact. All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired . Each year, about 11 cubic kilometres (2.6 cu mi) of water spreads over

624-485: Is home to 71 fish species, including the tigerfish , species of tilapia , and various species of catfish . Fish sizes range from the 1.4 m (4.6 ft) African sharptooth catfish to the 3.2 cm (1.3 in) sickle barb . The same species are found in the Zambezi River , indicating an historic link between the two river systems. The Okavango Delta is home to 1068 plants which belong to 134 families and 530 genera. There are five important plant communities in

672-750: Is now a popular tourist attraction. All of the big five game animals—the lion , leopard , African buffalo , African bush elephant and rhinoceros (both black and white rhinoceros )—are present. Other species include giraffe , blue wildebeest , plains zebra , hippopotamus , impala , common eland , greater kudu , sable antelope , roan antelope , puku , lechwe , waterbuck , sitatunga , tsessebe , cheetah , African wild dog , spotted hyena , black-backed jackal , caracal , serval , aardvark , aardwolf , bat-eared fox , African savanna hare , honey badger , crested porcupine , common warthog , chacma baboon , vervet monkey and Nile crocodile . The delta also hosts over 400 bird species, including

720-489: Is oil exploration by Canadian company ReconAfrica. Initial exploration in April 2021 revealed oil deposits in sedimentary rock. Environmentalists are concerned that the project will have a negative ecological impact and that some of the main bodies of water could be threatened. ReconAfrica has stated, "There will be no damage to the ecosystem from the planned activities." The Namibian government has presented plans to build

768-537: Is subdivided into eight electoral constituencies : In the 2015 regional elections SWAPO won in all eight constituencies. SWAPO also won all constituencies in the 2020 regional election , all of them by a landslide, and with overall more than 90% of the votes. The first Governor of Kavango West was Samuel Mbambo , former Governor of the Kavango Region and sitting Governor of Kavango East. On 27 April 2014 Sirkka Ausiku , formerly Permanent Secretary of

816-443: Is very flat, with less than 2 m (7 ft) variation in height across its 15,000 km (5,800 sq mi), while the water drops about 60 m from Mohembo to Maun. When the water levels gradually recede, water remains in major canals and river beds, in waterholes and in a number of larger lagoons , which then attract increasing numbers of animals. Photo-safari camps and lodges are found near some of these lagoons. Among

864-710: Is very sparsely inhabited, while the northernmost strip, especially along the Kavango River , has a high population concentration. The region contains a multi-country conservation park and six locally managed wildlife reserves. ReconAfrica , a petroleum exploration company headquartered in Canada , has obtained exploration licenses for more than 13,600 square miles of land in the Kavango West region of Namibia and in Botswana . In January 2021 ReconAfrica announced

912-479: The Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development , was appointed. He kept his position in 2015 in president Hage Geingob 's new government. Kavango East and West Regional Health Directorate has the following facilities. Hospitals = 1. Health Centers = 2. Primary Health Care Clinics = 26. The region is characterised by an extremely uneven population distribution. The interior

960-402: The helmeted guineafowl , African fish eagle , Pel's fishing owl , Egyptian goose , South African shelduck , African jacana , African skimmer , marabou stork , crested crane , African spoonbill , African darter , southern ground hornbill , wattled crane , lilac-breasted roller , secretary bird , and common ostrich . Prime bird-watching areas are those with a mix of habitats such as

1008-519: The 1980s of the threat of cattle invasion to the area. His documentary The End of Eden portrayed his lobbying on behalf of the delta. The Okavango catchment is projected to experience decreasing annual rainfall as well as increasing temperatures as a result of global warming. The effects of global warming are likely to result in reductions in the extent of floodplains in the Okavango Delta, which will have significant impacts on water availability as well as livestock rearing and agricultural activities in

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1056-568: The 6,000–15,000 km (2,300–5,800 sq mi) area. Some flood waters drain into Lake Ngami . The area was once part of Lake Makgadikgadi , an ancient lake that had mostly dried up by the early Holocene . The Moremi Game Reserve is on the eastern side of the delta. The delta was named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa , which were officially declared on 11 February 2013 in Arusha , Tanzania . On 22 June 2014,

1104-527: The Botswana Rhino Reintroduction Project founded in 2000. From 2010 to 2018, seven rhinos were killed by poachers. By 2019, the rhino population in Botswana had decreased to an estimated 400, with the largest population of roughly 150 living in the northern Okavango Delta. From 2020 to 2021, 92 rhinos were killed by poachers in the delta region leaving only 40 individuals, prompting the government to move those rhinos out of

1152-405: The Kavango Region of Namibia and in Botswana . In January 2021 ReconAfrica announced the start of drilling operations on the first exploration well. Environmental activists have expressed concern that ReconAfrica’s plans for its test wells have not been properly vetted through Namibia’s environmental review process, however ReconAfrica and both the governments of Namibia and Botswana have stated that

1200-542: The Okavango Delta became the 1000th site to be officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Okavango is produced by seasonal flooding. The Okavango River drains the summer (January–February) rainfall from the Angola highlands and the surge flows 1,200 km (750 mi) in around one month. The waters then spread over the 250 by 150 km (155 by 93 mi) area of the delta over

1248-578: The Okavango Delta, over the past 150 years or so, Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Bugakhwe have inhabited the panhandle and the Magwegqana in the northeastern delta. ǁanikhwe have inhabited the panhandle and the area along the Boro River through the delta, as well as the area along the Boteti River . The Wayeyi have inhabited the area around Seronga as well as the southern delta around Maun , and

1296-439: The Okavango Delta. The most abundant large mammal is the lechwe, with estimates suggesting approximately 88,000 individuals. The lechwe a bit larger than an impala, with elongated hooves and a water-repellent substance on its legs that enable rapid movement through knee-deep water. Lechwe graze on aquatic plants and, like the waterbuck, take to water when threatened by predators. Only the males have horns. The Okavango Delta

1344-479: The Okavango contain little mud. The plants capture the sand, acting as the glue and making up for the lack of mud, and in the process creating further islands on which more plants can take root. This process is not important in the formation of linear islands. They are long and thin and often curved like a gently meandering river because they are actually the natural banks of old river channels which have become blocked up by plant growth and sand deposition, resulting in

1392-415: The channel sides. On the islands and mainlands edges above the flooded grasslands different communities of flora are found. These species are located according to their water preference: for instance Philenoptera violacea requires little water, is found at the highest elevations in the perennial swamps, and is common on drier seasonal swamp islands. Trees restricted to islands within the perennial swamp are

1440-608: The collection of wild plant foods, and pastoralism. The Bugakhwe and ǁanikwhe are Bushmen , who have traditionally practised fishing, hunting, and the collection of wild plant foods; Bugakhwe used both forest and riverine resources, while the ǁanikhwe mostly focused on riverine resources. The Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Bugakhwe are present along the Okavango River in Angola and in the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, and small numbers of Hambukushu and Bugakhwe are in Zambia, as well. Within

1488-546: The company's activities have followed due process and that no fracking will occur. ReconAfrica’s drilling area is in the Kavango West region which contains a multicountry conservation park, six locally managed wildlife reserves, and one UNESCO World Heritage site, however the drilling license does not include any of these protected areas. Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland ; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana

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1536-510: The floods were more intensive than normal and flood recession cropping was not possible, so severe food and fodder shortages occurred. In response, the Molapo Development Project was initiated. It protected the molapo areas with bunds to control the flooding and prevent severe flooding. The bunds are provided with sluice gates so the stored water can be released and flood recession cropping can start. One possible threat

1584-481: The geological makeup of the Okavango River catchment which is largely underlain by Kalahari sand. There is low concentration of dissolved solids in the river water - around 40 mg/L, made up mostly of silica, calcium and magnesium bicarbonates - but these dissolved solids form the largest component of sediment carried into the delta because the annual water volume is so large. During colder periods in Earth's history,

1632-437: The larger lagoons are: The agglomeration of salt around plant roots leads to barren white patches in the centre of many of the thousands of islands, which have become too salty to support plants, aside from the odd salt-resistant palm tree . Trees and grasses grow in the sand around the edges of the islands that have not become too salty yet. About 70% of the islands began as termite mounds (often Macrotermes spp.), where

1680-481: The late 18th century. Led by the house of Mathiba I, the leader of a Bangwato offshoot, the Batawana established complete control over the delta in the 1850s as the regional ivory trade exploded. Most Batawana, however, have traditionally lived on the edges of the delta, due to the threat that the tsetse fly poses to their cattle. During a hiatus of some 40 years, the tsetse fly retreated and most Batawana lived in

1728-501: The next four months (March–June). The high temperature of the delta causes rapid transpiration and evaporation , resulting in three cycles of rising and falling water levels that were not fully understood until the early 20th century. The flood peaks between June and August, during Botswana 's dry winter months, when the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from kilometres around and creating one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife . The delta

1776-512: The panhandle, the seasonal delta and the parts of the Moremi Game Reserve that are close to the water. Since 2005, the protected area has been considered a Lion Conservation Unit together with Hwange National Park . In 1992, the black rhino was thought to be extinct in the Okavango Delta, while only 19 white rhinos remained. By 1993, all rhinos had been killed in Botswana. Hundreds of white and black rhinos were reintroduced by

1824-414: The perennial swamp: Papyrus cyperus in the deeper waters , Miscanthus in the shallowly flooded sites, and Phragmites australis , Typha capensis and Pycreus in between. The swamp-dominant species, which are usually found in the perennial swamp, also extend far into the seasonally inundated area. Papyrus cyperus reeds beds grow best in slow flowing waters of medium depth and are prominent at

1872-608: The poorest regions in Namibia. The Fourth Delimitation Commission of Namibia, responsible for recommending on the country's administrative divisions suggested in August 2013 to split the Kavango Region into two. The president Hifikepunye Pohamba enacted the recommendations. As a result, the new Regions of Kavango East and Kavango West have been created. As of 2020, Kavango West had 23,804 registered voters. The region

1920-475: The region. Kavango West Kavango West is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia . Its capital and only self-governed settlement is Nkurenkuru , its governor is Sirkka Ausiku . The Region was created in 2013 when the Kavango Region was split into Kavango East and Kavango West. In the north, Kavango West borders the Cuando Cubango Province of Angola . Domestically, it borders

1968-530: The regions of Kavango East to the east, Otjozondjupa to the south, Oshikoto to the west and Ohangwena to the northwest. Because of its rather high rainfall compared to most other parts of Namibia and its location on the Kavango River after which it was named, this region has agricultural potential for the cultivation of a variety of crops, as well as for organised forestry and agro-forestry, which stimulates furniture making and related industries. Kavango West and its sister region Kavango East are nevertheless

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2016-902: The river changing course and the old river levees becoming islands. Due to the flatness of the delta and the large tonnage of sand flowing into it from the Okavango River, the floor of the delta is slowly but constantly rising. Where channels are today, islands will be tomorrow and then new channels may wash away these existing islands. The Okavango Delta peoples consist of five ethnic groups, each with its own ethnic identity and language. They are Hambukushu (also known as Mbukushu, Bukushu, Bukusu, Mabukuschu, Ghuva, Haghuva), Dceriku (Dxeriku, Diriku, Gciriku, Gceriku, Giriku, Niriku), Wayeyi (Bayei, Bayeyi, Yei), Bugakhwe (Kxoe, Khwe, Kwengo, Barakwena, G|anda) and ǁanikhwe (Gxanekwe, ǁtanekwe, River Bushmen , Swamp Bushmen, Gǁani, ǁani, Xanekwe). The Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Wayeyi have traditionally engaged in mixed economies of millet/sorghum agriculture, fishing, hunting,

2064-567: The river is low, as during the dry season. In the rainy season, an outflow to the Boteti River in turn seasonally discharges to the Makgadikgadi Pans , which features an expansive area of rainy-season wetland where tens of thousands of flamingos congregate each summer. Part of the river's flow fills Lake Ngami . Noted for its wildlife , the Okavango area contains Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve . Every wet season, Angola receives three times more rainfall than Botswana, discharging

2112-667: The river's flow, and that it is entitled to any water that flows through its territory. To deal with such issues, in September 1994, Angola, Namibia, and Botswana signed an agreement to form the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission , to provide advice to the three countries about the best ways to share the Okavango River's resources. ReconAfrica , a petroleum exploration company headquartered in Canada , has obtained exploration licenses for more than 13,600 square miles of land in

2160-447: The start of drilling operations on the first exploration well. Environmental activists have expressed concern that ReconAfrica's plans for its test wells have not been properly vetted through Namibia's environmental review process, however ReconAfrica and both the governments of Namibia and Botswana have stated that the company's activities have followed due process and that no fracking will occur. The drilling license does not include any of

2208-446: The swamps from 1896 through the late 1930s. Since then, the edge of the delta has become increasingly crowded with its growing human and livestock populations. After the flooding season, the waters in the lower parts of the delta, near the base, recede, leaving moisture behind in the soil. This residual moisture is used for planting fodder and other crops that can thrive on it. This land is locally known as molapo . During 1974 to 1978,

2256-408: The temperature reduces, with a maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) during the day and mild to cool nights. The rains quickly dry up leading into the dry, cool winter months of June to August. Daytime temperatures at this time of year are mild to warm, but the temperature falls considerably after sunset. Nights can be cold in the delta, with temperatures barely above freezing. Frost is sometimes seen over

2304-429: The winter. The September to November span has the heat and atmospheric pressure build up once more, as the dry season slides into the rainy season. October is the most challenging month for visitors: daytime temperatures often push past 40 °C (104 °F) and the dryness is only occasionally broken by a sudden cloudburst. The Okavango Delta is both a permanent and seasonal home to a wide variety of wildlife which

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