Cuando River

Mouth of Kuando (left center) in the Zambezi at Kazungula; Aerial view from the southwest

The Cuando ( in Namibia: Kwando, Kuando ) is a 1500 km long right tributary of the Zambezi River in southern Africa. In the lower reaches it is called the Linyanti and Chobe last.

The Cuando rises in the highlands of Bie in Angola and flows first to the southeast. Later, he follows the border with Zambia. The Cuando then flows through the Caprivi Strip of Namibia in Kongola and forms at its southern edge the border into Botswana. In this section, it forms the inland delta of the Linyanti Swamps and then turns abruptly to the east. From here it is called the Linyanti and - after passing the intermittently dry Liambezi Lake - Chobe (read: Chobe ). At Kazungula on the quadrangle of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the flow in the Zambezi flows.

In the Linyanti river section above the river basins of the western neighboring river Okavango and Zambezi are in intermittent contact. In severe flood waters of the Okavango reached across the river Magwekwana (also Selinda - channel ) and has the Linyanti. At this point, sat still at the end of the last glacial period the Linyanti inland delta to the south fort, where it was connected to the Okavango inland delta. The stronger there sediment deposit and extending eastward Dünenzug helped that the Linyanti ran over with a sharp change in direction east to the Zambezi ( see satellite image map).

The alternating wet climate, high evaporation surfaces in the swamps and water losses into the ground causing a very uneven and, in relation to the size of the catchment area, low water conditions on the Cuando.

Especially because of the high game population following national parks have been established in the basin of the Cuando:

• Publication Coutada do Luiana (Angola)
• Sioma Ngwezi National Park ( Zambia)
• Bwabwata National Park ( Namibia)
• Mudumu National Park ( Namibia)
• Mamili National Park ( Namibia)
• Chobe National Park ( Botswana )