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The 1,576 kilometres (979 mi) long Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia. [1] Its water is used for irrigation and for generating hydroelectric power . [ 2 ] It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi , [ 3 ] and of Zambia 's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban .
Kafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km 2 (similar in size to Wales or Massachusetts). It is the second largest national park in Africa [ 2 ] and is home to 152 different species of mammals. [ 1 ]
The Kafue River's 50 km wide floodplain, the Kafue Flats, is a 240 km long east-west barrier to road and rail connections between the centre of the country and the south. Kafue lies at the eastern end of the floodplain where the river enters the Kafue Gorge and flows down the Zambezi Escarpment into the middle Zambezi rift valley. [2]
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. The town of Itezhi-Tezhi is to the east side of the dam.
The eastern border is the Kariba Gorge and Zambezi, and the north-east border is the Kafue River, forming its border with Lusaka Province. The Kafue Flats lie mostly within the province's northern border with Central Province. In the north-west lies part of the famous Kafue National Park, the largest in Zambia.
The elevation of the Kafue River falls 40 m (130 ft) along the flats from 1,030 m (3,380 ft) at Itezhi-Tezhi to 990 m (3,250 ft) at Kafue town. The town of Mazabuka and the Nakambala sugar estate lie on the southeast edge and the small town of Namwala is situated at the southwest edge of the flats.
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Protected areas of the Kafue Flats. The Kafue River's main channel is about 10 km south of the southern park boundary. Herds of Kafue Lechwe are seen in the flooded areas, Sitatunga in the swamps and zebra, Reedbuck and buffalo graze the drier parts. A very large number of bird species can be seen there, especially aquatic birds.