Geography

Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa, with a tropical climate and consists mostly of high plateau with some hills and mountains. At 752,614 sq km (290,566 sq mi.) it is the 39th-largest country in the world (after Chile) and approximately 10 times the size of Scotland.

Zambia is drained by two major river basins: the Zambezi River basin in the south and the Congo River basin in the north. The part of Zambia drained by the Zambezi basin is about three-quarters of the country's total area. The part drained by the Congo basin is about a quarter of the area.

Zambezi River Basin

In the Zambezi River basin, there are four major rivers that either run through Zambia or form the country's borders: the Kafue, the Luangwa, the Kwando and the Zambezi. The last three form part of Zambia's southern borders. The Kwando River forms Zambia's southwestern border with Angola, then it runs east along the northern boundary of Namibia's Caprivi Strip before spreading into the Linyanti Marshes, which finally drain east into the Zambezi. From its confluence with the Kwando, the Zambezi flows east, forming the whole of Zambia's border with Zimbabwe.

The other two rivers, Kafue and Luangwa, lie entirely within Zambia and are major tributaries of the Zambezi. Their confluences with the Zambezi are on Zambia's Zimbabwean border at Chirundu and Luangwa town respectively. Before its confluence, the Luangwa River forms part of Zambia's border with Mozambique. From Luangwa town, the Zambezi leaves Zambia and flows into Mozambique, and eventually into the Indian Ocean's Mozambique Channel.

The Zambezi falls 100 m (360 feet) over the 1.6 km (1mile) wide Victoria Falls, located in the southwest corner of the country, subsequently filling Lake Kariba.

The Zambezi Valley, running along the southern border, is both deep and wide. Moving northwards the terrain shifts into a high plateau of 900 to 1,200 m (3000 to 4000 ft) to over 1,800 m (6000 ft) in the northern area of the Copperbelt. In the east, the Luangwa valley curves south with hills on either side until it enters the Zambezi. In the west, large plains are a key geographic feature, flooding the western plains during the annual rainy season (typically October though April).

Congo River Basin

Zambia hosts two major rivers from the Congo River basin: the Chambeshi and the Luapula. The latter forms part of Zambia's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Chambeshi lies entirely within Zambia and is the furthest headstream of the Congo River. It flows into the Bangweulu Swamps, which provide the waters that form the Luapula River. The Luapula flows south then west before it turns north until it enters Lake Mweru. The lake's other major tributary is the Kalungwishi River, which flows into it from the east. The Luvua River drains Lake Mweru, flowing out of the northern end.

Lake Tanganyika is the other major hydrographic feature that belongs to the Congo River basin. Its southeastern end receives water from the Kalambo River, which forms part of Zambia's border with Tanzania. This river has Africa's second highest uninterrupted waterfall: the Kalambo Falls.