Lake Cahora Bassa
Quick Summary
Lake Cahora Bassa is a large reservoir in western Mozambique, formed by the Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi River. The dam, completed in 1974, is 171 meters high and was once the fifth largest in the world. It was primarily built to supply electricity to South Africa, with a small portion of power going to Mozambique's cities and mines. The creation of the lake displaced approximately 50,000 people and affected downstream ecosystems and wildlife. Despite Mozambique's independence, Portugal retained a controlling stake in the dam until 2007.1
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Zambezi RiverPhysiography…to the eastern end of Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. It continues to form the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe until it crosses the Mozambique border at Luangwa. Below the falls a gorge some 60 miles long has been formed by the trench-scouring process, through which the river descends in…
Read More…to the eastern end of Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique. It continues to form the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe until it crosses the Mozambique border at Luangwa. Below the falls a gorge some 60 miles long has been formed by the trench-scouring process, through which the river descends in…
Read More- Zambezi RiverNavigation
Above the dam Lake Cahora Bassa is navigable to its confluence with the Luangwa River, where navigation is interrupted again to the Kariba Dam. Lake Kariba is navigable, but the river again becomes impassable from the end of the lake to the Ngonye Falls, some 250 miles upstream.…
Read MoreAbove the dam Lake Cahora Bassa is navigable to its confluence with the Luangwa River, where navigation is interrupted again to the Kariba Dam. Lake Kariba is navigable, but the river again becomes impassable from the end of the lake to the Ngonye Falls, some 250 miles upstream.…
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