Lake Kariba

About Lake Kariba:

• It is a lake in central Africa, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• It is positioned 810 miles upstream from the Indian Ocean.
• It is the world’s largest man-made lake. It covers an area of 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km).
• It was formed by damming the Zambezi River in the Kariba Gorge, where the river narrows between hills of hard rock 250 miles (400 km) below Victoria Falls.
  • The Kariba Dam consists of a double-arch wall. It is 128 meters in height, 617 meters in length, 13 meters wide at its top, and 24 meters wide at the base.
  • It provides considerable electric power to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and supports a thriving commercial fishing industry.
• The lake encompasses a total of 102 islands, including well-known ones like Chete Island and Spurwing Island.
  • The Chete Island boasts the world’s largest expanse of protected, undeveloped wetlands and hosts the largest single population of African elephants. 

Q1: What is an Arch Dam?

Arch dams are curved in plan, and most of their water load is carried by the abutment of the arch horizontally. The amount of water load it can withstand is determined by its arch or curvature.

Source: ‘Levels are dropping’: drought saps Zambia and Zimbabwe of hydropower

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