| Okavango | |
|---|---|
 Okavango in Kavango, Namibia | |
 Okavango river basin map | |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Cachiungo, Angola |
| • coordinates | 12°42′22″S 16°04′52″E / 12.706°S 16.081°E |
| • elevation | 1,788 m (5,866 ft) |
| Mouth | Okavango Delta |
• location | Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana |
• coordinates | 18°59′17″S 22°34′34″E / 18.988°S 22.576°E |
• elevation | 978 m (3,209 ft) |
| Length | 1,700 km (1,100 mi) |
| Basin size | 530,000 km2 (200,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 475 m3/s (16,800 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 350 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 1,000 m3/s (35,000 cu ft/s) |
 | |
The Okavango River (formerly spelt Okovango or Okovanggo), is a river in southwest Africa. It is known by this name in Botswana, and as Cubango in Angola, and Kavango in Namibia.[1] It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for 1,600 km (1,000 mi). It begins at an elevation of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the sandy highlands of Angola. Farther south, it forms part of the border between Angola and Namibia, and then flows into Botswana. The Okavango does not have an outlet to the sea. Instead, it discharges into the Okavango Delta or Okavango Alluvial Fan, in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert. The Cuito River is a major tributary.