Kariba | |
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Coordinates: 16°31′S28°48′E / 16.517°S 28.800°E | |
Country | Zimbabwe |
Province | Mashonaland West |
District | Kariba District |
Population (2022 census) [1] | |
• Total | 27,600 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Area code | 061 |
Climate | Aw |
Kariba is a resort town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the north-eastern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 2022 Population Census, the town had a population of 27,600. [1]
Located in the Zambezi Valley, Kariba is well known for its balmy climate and proximity to Lake Kariba, that draws in thousands of tourists all year round.
The pre-colonial population of the area were Tonga. [2]
The town was established to house workers who were constructing the dam in the mid to late 1950s and was constructed by the contractor Costain. [3] After the completion of the dam wall and the power station (Kariba South Power Station) quite a few impressive monuments were built in the early 1960s i.e. the Roman Catholic church located at the Kariba Heights (St. Barbara) and next to it the Pat McClean Theatre named after Patricia McClean a well known wealthy resident of Kariba Heights.
Kariba is located on Lake Kariba, a reservoir created by Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River. [4] Kariba has three main suburbs: Mahombekombe, the older poorer lakeshore high density suburb, Nyamhunga the newer high density suburb and Kariba Heights, the wealthier hilltop suburb and location of the Operation Noah monument. As the name suggests the heights overlook the surrounding region and offer impressive views of Lake Kariba and the opposite lakeshore to the south.
The town has road links connecting it to Harare and to the border of Zambia. It is serviced by Kariba Airport, and has ferry service to Victoria Falls via Mlibizi Fishing camp.
Kariba town is the centre of the tourist industry for the Lake Kariba region. [5] Kariba town provides accommodation in various hotels and lodges. There are two casinos in the town. Many of the attractions in Kariba for the tourist are water-based. Fishing, game-viewing and house-boating are the most popular activities. Tourists also visit the Kariba Dam wall and local crocodile farms. [6]
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority ZESA employs workers in the hydroelectric power station. Kapenta fishing is also an important industry, [7] though it was affected by the nation-wide fuel shortages, [8] [9] and in the 2010s by drought. [10]
ZB Bank Limited, a commercial bank, maintains a branch in Kariba. [11]
In the twenty-first century, the town of Kariba faced many of the nation-wide problems brought on by the depressed national economy, including lack of foreign currency. [12] [13] The town had difficulty in revenue collection. [12] [14] As a result, its fleet did not receive proper maintenance nor replacements, which was also true of its water and sewage system, which suffered chronic pump breakdowns. [12] [13] Kariba also continued to have a large number of unoccupied housing units, left over from the construction boom, units which generated no income. [12]
The restructuring of industry in the early nineties, followed by Zimbabwe economic crisis in the 2000s, greatly impacted Kariba's tourist potential. Many former visitors and residents were involved in trade and agriculture and the impact of the country's crisis led to a decline in domestic tourism as much of the middle class, who were the mainstay of Kariba's tourism industry began to emigrate. In addition a lack of investment in the city's airport and infrastructure has seen the city fall behind to nearby destinations such as Livingstone and Victoria Falls, which offer easy access to Johannesburg, Dubai and London. Once ubiquitous, South African tourists increasingly prefer cheaper and more accessible destinations like Mauritius, Tofo Beach and Pemba. As a result, its population has stagnated to fewer than 30,000 inhabitants today. [15]
Another challenge to the town, is the increasingly outdated infrastructure, particularly Kariba Dam. Years of under-investment threaten the longevity of the dam and its ability to generate power, posing a challenge to the economies of Zambia and Zimbabwe. [15]
Climate data for Kariba (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.5 (86.9) | 28.5 (83.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 28.9 (84.0) | 32.9 (91.2) | 35.1 (95.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.6 (87.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.3 (57.7) | 11.2 (52.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 19.1 (66.4) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.1 (71.8) | 18.4 (65.1) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 191.6 (7.54) | 157.7 (6.21) | 112.5 (4.43) | 30.0 (1.18) | 4.2 (0.17) | 1.0 (0.04) | 0.6 (0.02) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.6 (0.02) | 17.8 (0.70) | 74.4 (2.93) | 175.0 (6.89) | 765.5 (30.14) |
Average rainy days | 16 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 66 |
Source: World Meteorological Organization [16] |
Kariba has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw), with warm winters and very hot summers, and a marked drier season in the winter. Although it is relatively cooler than typical tropical places in the winter and does get occasional 5 °C (41 °F) lows, Kariba nevertheless meets the minimum requirements to be in the savanna climate zone, making it one of few locations in Zimbabwe within this classification. The city's low elevation by Zimbabwean standards, lakeside location, northern locality, and proximity to the Intertropical Convergence Zone shape its climate. Average winter high temperatures, from May to August, range from 24.7 to 26.8 °C (76.4 to 80.3 °F). July is the coolest month with an average daily temperature of 20.1 °C (68.2 °F). Low temperatures fall below 10 °C (50 °F) about 10–15 nights during the winter season, after the passage of cold fronts from the south east that may sometimes produce winter precipitation. [17]
The Kariba Dam is a double curvature concrete arch dam in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi river basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The dam stands 128 metres (420 ft) tall and 579 metres (1,900 ft) long. The dam forms Lake Kariba, which extends for 280 kilometres (170 mi) and holds 185 cubic kilometres (150,000,000 acre⋅ft) of water.
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bordered to the north by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country.
Harare, formerly known as Salisbury, is the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 982.3 km2 (379.3 sq mi), a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province. The city is situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country's Mashonaland region. Harare is a metropolitan province, which also incorporates the municipalities of Chitungwiza and Epworth. The city sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,483 metres above sea level, and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers 1,390,000 km2 (540,000 sq mi), slightly less than half of the Nile's. The 2,574 km (1,599 mi) river rises in Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the north-eastern border of Namibia and the northern border of Botswana, then along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it crosses the country to empty into the Indian Ocean.
Victoria Falls is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animals. It is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is one of the world's largest waterfalls, with a width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft).
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) upstream from the mouth of the Zambezi river on Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba Dam at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River.
Matusadona National Park is a national park in northern Zimbabwe situated on the southern shore of Lake Kariba. The park takes its name from the local Matuzviadonha Hills.
Livingstone is a city in Zambia. Until 1935, it served as the capital of Northern Rhodesia. Lying 10 km (6 mi) to the north of the Zambezi River, it is a tourism attraction center for the Victoria Falls and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Victoria Falls. A historic British colonial city, its present population was enumerated at 177,393 inhabitants at the 2022 census. It is named after David Livingstone, the Scottish explorer and missionary who was the first European to explore the area. Until 2011, Livingstone was the provincial capital of Zambia's Southern Province.
Victoria Falls, popularly known as Vic Falls, is a resort town and city in the province of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. It lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River at the western end of Victoria Falls themselves. According to the 2022 Population Census, the town had a population of 35,199.
Kariba is a district and constituency on the shores of Lake Kariba in the Mashonaland West Province of northern Zimbabwe, along the border with Zambia. The constituency comprises 12 rural wards or municipalities in Kariba Rural, also known as Nyaminyami Rural District, and 9 urban wards in Kariba Town, the district capital. The district's total population was just under 60,000 in 2011. Kariba town was built to house the workers who built Kariba Dam, which was completed in 1960 to supply Zimbabwe and Zambia with hydroelectric power, and which gave rise to one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. The creation of the Kariba Lake led to a thriving fishing industry, but following Zimbabwe's economic collapse, Kariba became the least developed district in the country. Kariba is also the most isolated district in Zimbabwe, with no tarred roads as of 2002. The main economic activities are subsistence agriculture, fishing and subsistence hunting. The district, which includes Matusadona National Park, suffers from high levels of wildlife poaching and high levels of human-wildlife conflict.
The Nyami Nyami, otherwise known as the Zambezi River God or Zambezi Snake Spirit, is one of the most important gods of the Tonga people living along the Zambezi River. Nyami Nyami is believed to protect the Tonga people and give them sustenance in difficult times. The River God is usually portrayed as male.
Karoi is a town in Zimbabwe.
Water transport and the many navigable inland waterways in Zambia have a long tradition of practical use except in parts of the south. Since draught animals such as oxen were not heavily used, water transport was usually the only alternative to going on foot until the 19th century. The history and current importance of Zambian waterways, as well as the types of indigenous boats used, provide information on this important aspect of Zambian economy.
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, (ZESA) whose official name is ZESA Holdings (Private) Limited, is a state-owned company whose task is to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in Zimbabwe.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Zambia:
Operation Noah was a wildlife rescue operation on the Zambezi River lasting from 1958 to 1964. In the late 1950s, Northern and Southern Rhodesia constructed the Kariba Dam hydroelectric power station across the Zambezi River, at the Kariba Gorge, about 400 km from Victoria Falls. The Kariba Dam mostly provided electric power to both countries, created Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake, and flooded the Kariba Gorge - home to thousands of native animals and the local Tonga people. In a wildlife rescue operation lasting 5 years, over 6000 animals were rescued and relocated to the mainland.
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) is a corporation jointly and equally owned by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The proposed Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station is a 2400 MW hydroelectric power station, planned for the Zambezi River on the international border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The M15 Makuti-Kariba Highway is a 2-way asphalt surface international highway from the A1 Highway at Makuti to Zambia via the Kariba Dam Wall. The maximum speed on this road is 120 kilometres (75 mi) per hour.
The T2 is a trunk road in Zambia. The road runs from the Tunduma border with Tanzania via Mpika, Kabwe and Lusaka to the Chirundu border with Zimbabwe. The road is the longest route of the country, as it is approximately 1,155 kilometres (718 mi). The route from Mpika to Kafue is a toll road. The route from Tanzania to Lusaka is Zambia's Great North Road and is part of the Tanzam Highway.