Geography

Introduction

The landscape of the Kunene basin ranges from an altitude of 2 000 m in the central highlands where the river has it's source, over relatively flat floodplains in the mid-section of the river, to the rocky arid areas on the border of Angola and Namibia. The central plateau, or “planalto”, hosts the headwaters of the Kuanza, Queve, Kunene and Kubango rivers, and is an extremely important land unit for Southern Africa’s regional hydrology.

This chapter of the Kunene River Awareness Kit summarises basin geography; describes the footprint of the river basin; reviews the geological history that shaped the basin; and provides an overview of the soils of the region.

The Kunene River in the lower reach.

Source: © Ostby 2007 www.pgoimages.com

( click to enlarge )

Chapter Summary

This chapter covers the following concepts and material:

• An overview of the River Basins of Southern Africa;
• An overview of the topography, significant geographical characteristics, longitudinal profile, and the ecoregions across the Kunene River Basin;
• The Geology of the basin;
• The types and distribution of Soils across the Kunene River basin; and
• Land Cover in the basin.