Barotse Floodplain

Designations
Official nameZambezi Floodplains
Designated2 February 2007
Reference no.1662[1]
NASA satellite photograph showing the Barotse Floodplain as the bright green to dark blue central region. 1 The Zambezi flowing north to south through the middle of the floodplain; 2 confluence of (left to right) the Lungwebungu, Southern Kashiji, Zambezi and Kabompo Rivers, marking the start of the floodplain; 3 end of the floodplain south of Senanga; 4 Ngonye Falls on the Zambezi; 5 Mongu, capital of Barotseland; 6 Lealui, seat of the Litunga on the floodplain; 7 Limulunga, seat of the Litunga during the flood; 8 swamps and floodplain of the Lungwebungu; 9 the Kabompo drains an area of Cryptosepalum dry forest; 10Luena Flats (floodplain); 11 Luanginga River floodplain near Kalabo; 12 Lui River with narrow floodplain; 13 a broad floodplain which carries overspill from high floods of the Cuando River in Angola; 14 Cuando river and floodplain, on the border between Angola and Zambia; 15Liuwa Plain National Park; 16 The flat sandy Central Zambezian Miombo woodland west of Mongu features many pans; 17 Sioma Ngwezi National Park.[2]

The Barotse Floodplain, also known as the Bulozi Plain, Lyondo or the Zambezi Floodplain, is one of Africa's great wetlands, on the Zambezi River in the Western Province of Zambia. It is a designated Ramsar site, regarded as being of high conservation value.[3]

The name recognises the floodplain as spawning the culture and way of life of the Lozi people, "Rotse" being a variant of Lozi, and "Ba" meaning "people". They became a powerful kingdom in Central/Southern Africa under their king or litunga Lewanika, whose realm extended up to 300 km from the plain and was called Barotseland.

  1. ^ "Zambezi Floodplains". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Seasonal Flooding in Southern Africa". Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine NASA/Visible Earth, Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC.
  3. ^ "Zambezi Floodplain Ramsar Information Sheet" Archived March 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, in Ramsar Sites Information Service, Wetlands International. Retrieved 22 November 2007.