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Aerial photo of the confluence of the Kuando (Chobe) River (centre left) and the Zambezi River at Kazungula (map, 9) looking west

The Cuando River (sometimes transliterated Kwando) is a river in south-central Africa, also called the Linyanti River and the Chobe River in its lower section before it flows into the Zambezi River.

The Cuando rises in the central plateau of Angola, and then flows southeast, along the border with Zambia. Along this stretch it flows in a maze of channels in a swampy corridor 5-10 km wide (map, 1 — the border with Zambia is the eastern bank of this floodplain, not the river channel). As with all rivers in south-central Africa its flow varies enormously between the rainy season when it floods and may be several kilometres wide, and the dry season when it may disappear into marshes.

The Cuando continues in its marshy channel across the neck of the Caprivi Strip of Namibia (map, 2) and then forms the border between Namibia and Botswana as it continues south-east. Some 10,000 years ago, the Cuando merged with the Okavango River and they flowed south to Lake Makgadikgadi, but the land in that area was uplifted. As a consequence the Cuando now meets slightly higher ground (map, 4) and breaks up into many channels and swamps (called the Linyanti Swamp) dotted with alluvial islands, nearly disappearing into the Kalahari sands like the Okavango (map, 5). But instead it has diverted east and has been captured by the Zambezi. The flow turns sharply east, still forming the border with Botswana. In the dry season there are few open channels through the swamps and marshes. Beginning at this point it is known as the Linyanti (map, 6), and after it flows through a seasonal lake, Lake Liambesi (map, 7), it is called the Chobe (map, 8). The river then flows into the Zambezi just above the Kazungula Ferry (map, 9).

In years when the Okavango experiences a good flood some of the water escapes east along the normally dry channel of the Magwekwana River into the Linyanti Swamp, thus entering the Zambezi basin. Otherwise the Okavango basin has no outlet.

On the north side of the Chobe River are the Caprivi Swamps, on the edge of which is the ruined capital of the Kololo people who conquered Barotseland in the 19th Century.

So much of the water of the Cuando, Linyanti and Chobe is lost to evaporation in the various swamps that its contribution to the flow of the Zambezi is very small except in occasional years when it floods excessively.

Map of the Cuando-Linyanti-Chobe river system in the region of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip based on a NASA satellite photo (note orientation with north-west at top). Water shows black. 1 The Cuando River; 2 Caprivi Strip; 3 Mudumu National Park and Lianshulu Lodge, the start of the Linyanti Swamp; 4 Linyanti Swamp and Mamli National Park, where a ridge of Kalahari sand blocks flow to the south-east; 5 Okavango River and delta which sinks into the Kalahari sands; 6 Linyanti River; 7 Lake Liambezi (dry when photo was taken); 8 Chobe River; 9 Confluence of Chobe and Zambezi at Kazungula; 10 Zambezi and Caprivi Swamps were experiencing an extreme flood at the time of the photo. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC.

The Cuando system is noted for its wildlife and for most of its length the land either side is protected as game reserves or wildlife management areas. Some of these suffered poaching during wars and conflict in Namibia and Angola, but with peace restored in those countries they have the chance of returning to their former state.

The national parks which is passes through or borders are:

• Coutada Publica do Luiana (Angola)
• Sioma Ngwezi National Park (Zambia)
• West Caprivi Game Park (Namibia)
• Mudumu National Park (Namibia)
• Mamli National Park (Namibia)
• Chobe National Park (Botswana)

• Google Earth accessed 2007.
• "Afrique Centre et Sud", Carte Routiere et Touristique Michelin, Paris (1996)
• Go2africa.com website accessed 6 March 2003.

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