Lake Kariba

About Lake Kariba:

• It is the world’s largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume.
• It lies approximately 1300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. 
• It is 200 kilometers downstream of Victoria Falls.
• The lake was filled following the completion of the Kariba Dam wall at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River.

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.

The wall extends across the Kariba gorge, creating a border crossing between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It took up to three years for the dam wall to be completed. Construction began on the 6th November, 1956, and was finished in 1959.

It provides considerable electric power to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and supports a thriving commercial fishing industry.

It is roughly estimated to be about 280 km long and 40 km at its widest. It covers an area of nearly 6,000 square kilometres.

Q1: What is a gorge?

A gorge is a narrow valley with steep, rocky walls located between hills or mountains. A number of natural forces form gorges. The most common is erosion due to streams or rivers. Streams carve through hard layers of rock, breaking down or eroding it. Sediment from the worn-away rock is then carried downstream. Over time, this erosion will form the steep walls of a gorge.

Source: El Nino drought leaves Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba only 13% full: A disaster for people & wildlife