Kafue National Park
Encyclopedia
Kafue National Park is the largest national park
in Zambia
, covering an area of about 22,400 km² (similar in size to Wales
or Massachusetts
). It is the second largest park in Africa and is home to over 55 different species of animals.
The park is named for the Kafue River
. It stretches over three provinces: North Western
, Central
and Southern
. The main access is via the Great West Road
from Lusaka
to Mongu
which crosses the park north of its centre. Seasonal dirt roads also link from Kalomo
and Namwala
in the south and south-east, and Kasempa
in the north.
moved the traditional owners of the area, the Nkoya
people of (King) Mwene Kabulwebulwe
, from their traditional hunting grounds into the Mumbwa
District to the east. Dissatisfaction with the pace of development in Central Province and a lack of benefit from tourism in the park have led to calls from Nkoya leaders to establish a new province in the area which they have proposed to call Kafue Province.
tree species, growing thickly in some patches, with a few small dambos (grasslands which become marshy in the rainy season) interspersed among them. In the south there are stony hills and rocky outcrops where the sparser Zambezian and Mopane woodlands ecoregion takes over, and Mopane
trees adapted to hotter drier conditions replace Miombo. A thin belt of evergreen forest lines the banks of the Kafue River, which has been controversially dammed just outside the park at Itezhi-Tezhi Dam
, forming a reservoir within the park. Patches of Baikiaea
(teak) and Cryptosepalum
evergreen forest occur in the south and west.
The jewel in Kafue's crown however is the Zambezian flooded grasslands ecoregion in the north, including the Busanga Swamp and plains. These support large herds of herbivores and their predators. In the dry season the animals keep close to the swamps and marshy creeks and are easily seen. The area is also noted for its birdlife.
Ngoma in the south is the headquarters of the park but this area together with the Nanzhila Plains are less visited and have become somewhat run down since the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam was built and more lodges were developed in the north. The reservoir cut the north-south track through the park and now it is necessary to detour outside the park to drive between Ngoma and Chunga.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, covering an area of about 22,400 km² (similar in size to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
or Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
). It is the second largest park in Africa and is home to over 55 different species of animals.
The park is named for the Kafue River
Kafue River
The Kafue River sustains one of the world's great wildlife environments. It is a major tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban, and the longest and largest lying wholly within Zambia....
. It stretches over three provinces: North Western
North-Western Province, Zambia
North-Western Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. It covers an area of 125,826 km² and has a population of 583,350 . It is the most sparsely populated province in the country...
, Central
Central Province, Zambia
Central Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. The provincial capital is Kabwe, home of the Mulungushi Rock of Authority, founder home of UNIP, the ruling political party in the second republic ....
and Southern
Southern Province, Zambia
Southern Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces, and home to Zambia's premier tourist attraction, Mosi-oa-Tunya , shared with Zimbabwe...
. The main access is via the Great West Road
Great West Road, Zambia
The Great West Road of Zambia runs 610 km from the capital, Lusaka, to Mongu, capital of the Western Province. It connects that province to the rest of the country, as well as being one of two routes to the south-west extremity of North-Western Province...
from Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
to Mongu
Mongu
Mongu is the capital of Western Province in Zambia and was the capital of the formerly-named province and historic state, Barotseland. Its population is 44,310 , and it is also headquarters of Mongu District.-Geography:...
which crosses the park north of its centre. Seasonal dirt roads also link from Kalomo
Kalomo
Kalomo is a town in southern Zambia, lying north east of Livingstone, on the main road and railway line to Lusaka. It is home to the Batonga people. It was the first administrative centre of Northern Rhodesia, serving until the capital city was established at Livingstone in 1911...
and Namwala
Namwala
Namwala is a town and seat of Namwala District in Southern Province of Zambia. Namwala town has a population of over 5,000 people. It lies on the southern bank of the Kafue River at 996 metres above sea level. It houses the administrative offices of Namwala District and is the principal town of the...
in the south and south-east, and Kasempa
Kasempa
-Location:Kasempa located in Kasempa District, Northwestern Province, Zambia. This location is approximately , by road, northwest of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and that country's largest city. The town of Kasempa is located on the western bank of the Lufupa River, as it flows south into Kafue...
in the north.
History
Kafue National Park was established in 1924 after the British colonial governmentNorthern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
moved the traditional owners of the area, the Nkoya
Nkoya
The Nkoya people are a Bantu people native to Zambia, mostly found in the Western and Southern provinces and the Mankoya area.Their language is a member of zone L of the Bantu languages.As of 2006, they were estimated to number 146,000 people....
people of (King) Mwene Kabulwebulwe
Kabulwebulwe
-References:*...
, from their traditional hunting grounds into the Mumbwa
Mumbwa
Mumbwa is a town in the Central Province of Zambia, lying on the Great West Road. Its district covers the western part of the Central Province bordering Kaoma and Western Province to the west, Namwala and Southern Province to the south, Lusaka and Lusaka Province to the east, Kasempa and...
District to the east. Dissatisfaction with the pace of development in Central Province and a lack of benefit from tourism in the park have led to calls from Nkoya leaders to establish a new province in the area which they have proposed to call Kafue Province.
Ecoregions and habitats
Most of the park lies in the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion characterised by savanna grasslands with MiomboMiombo
Miombo is the Swahili word for Brachystegia, a genus of tree comprising a large number of species. Miombo woodland is classified in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome...
tree species, growing thickly in some patches, with a few small dambos (grasslands which become marshy in the rainy season) interspersed among them. In the south there are stony hills and rocky outcrops where the sparser Zambezian and Mopane woodlands ecoregion takes over, and Mopane
Mopane
The mopane or mopani tree grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern Africa, into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi. The tree only occurs in Africa and is the only species in genus Colophospermum...
trees adapted to hotter drier conditions replace Miombo. A thin belt of evergreen forest lines the banks of the Kafue River, which has been controversially dammed just outside the park at Itezhi-Tezhi Dam
Itezhi-Tezhi Dam
The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam on the Kafue River in west-central Zambia was built between 1974 and 1977 at the Itezhi-Tezhi Gap, in a range of hills through which the river had eroded a narrow valley, leading to the broad expanse of the wetlands known as the Kafue Flats...
, forming a reservoir within the park. Patches of Baikiaea
Baikiaea
Baikiaea is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family.It contains the following species:* Baikiaea ghesquiereana, a Tanzanian endemic* Baikiaea plurijuga, the Rhodesian-Teak...
(teak) and Cryptosepalum
Cryptosepalum
Cryptosepalum is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family.It contains the following species:* Cryptosepalum diphyllum* Cryptosepalum tetraphyllum...
evergreen forest occur in the south and west.
The jewel in Kafue's crown however is the Zambezian flooded grasslands ecoregion in the north, including the Busanga Swamp and plains. These support large herds of herbivores and their predators. In the dry season the animals keep close to the swamps and marshy creeks and are easily seen. The area is also noted for its birdlife.
Ngoma in the south is the headquarters of the park but this area together with the Nanzhila Plains are less visited and have become somewhat run down since the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam was built and more lodges were developed in the north. The reservoir cut the north-south track through the park and now it is necessary to detour outside the park to drive between Ngoma and Chunga.