When a person thinks about famous riverine courses, the Ganges in India could come in your thoughts, or the Nile that runs through Egypt. Perhaps it’s the mighty Amazon in South America that you think of when you think about a major riverine system or the lengthy and sinuous Mississippi which stretches from Lake Itasca where it arises, to New Orleans, the town in which the “good times roll”. Then again, maybe for you it is the Volga, or the Danube. In essence, the renowned waterway that comes to mind first will probably be the one you’ve got the most association with. Thus if you ask a fisherman who’s fished the Zambezi then this will in all probability be the waterway they speak about as it’s famous for its fishing grounds, amongst other things.

For the pastoral groups who live on its banks, the Zambezi is an extremely significant river indeed as it aids in supporting their existence via the fishing prospects it offers. Although the Zambezi is recognized around the world as a prime angling site, and anglers from all around the globe journey to it for the angling experience, the indigenous folks that reside here fish to survive rather than to enjoy the activity of sportfishing. You might remember the true story of Jeremy Wade, a UK fisherman who caught the goliath tigerfish in the Congo River. The fisherman tried to resuscitate the fish so that it could go on living much to the consternation of the local residents because a catch of that size possessed the ability to nourish an entire village. It is not unreasonable to think that the situation could have been identical had this mammoth fish been captured in the Zambezi.

Because it is such a long river – the fourth longest on the African continent to be exact – the Zambezi flows via no less than nine African nations on its way to the Indian Ocean at which point it spills straight into the Mozambique Channel. It features the incredible Victoria Falls that can be seen from possibly Zimbabwean or Zambian soil depending on which edge of the falls you are on. Two dams, the Cahora Bassa and the Kariba are used to supply a range of African nations with hydroelectric power. Naturally, the Zambezi is also home to a range of wildlife and plants both upon the banks and in its waters.

That being said, this spectacular river is far more than a group of coordinates with a length and width arranged on paper inside a Geography book. It’s a constantly flowing life energy that’s as awe-inspiring as it’s gorgeous and has to be witnessed with the human eye for the magnificence to be thoroughly comprehended. Irrespective of whether we privately see a body of water such as the Zambezi as life sustaining, a good site to fish, a natural wonder of great splendor or even as a geographic coordinate, it has to be seen to be believed.

The Extraordinary Zambezi River is a post from: WiredWriter