Kafue
Kafue is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -13.81°, 27.48°
About Kafue
The 1,576 kilometres (979 mi) long Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia. Its water is used for irrigation and for generating hydroelectric power. It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban. More than 50% of Zambia's population live in the Kafue River Basin and of these around 65% are urban.
It has a mean flow rate of 320 cubic metres per second (11,000 cu ft/s) through its lower half, with high seasonal variations. The river discharges 10 cubic kilometres (2.4 cu mi) per year into the Zambezi River.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kafue River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kafue in Depth
Course
The Kafue River rises at an elevation of 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) on the relatively flat plateau just south the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-west of Chingola in the Copperbelt Province. The source of the Kafue River is in the North-western Province of Zambia. The area is Miombo woodland on the Congo-Zambezi watershed, with many branching dambos lying 10 to 20 metres (33 to 66 ft) lower than the highest ground, producing a very gently undulating topography. The river starts as a trickle from the marshy dambos (the Munyanshi Swamp is a tributary) and with little slope to speed up river flow, it meanders south-eastwards sluggishly and within 50 kilometres (31 mi) has the character of a mature river.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kafue River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kafue: Key Facts
| Length | 1,577 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 314 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 154,829 km² |
| Mouth | Zambezi River |
| Drainage system | Zambezi Basin |
| Tributaries | Luswishi, Lufupa, Lunga |
Facts from Wikidata Q846063 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Kafue: Quick Answers
- Where is Kafue?
- Kafue is located in Zambia, at 13.8069° S, 27.4843° E.
- Are there dams on the Kafue?
- No dam on the Kafue is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.