The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls Brief synthesis The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls is the world’s greatest sheet of falling water and significant worldwide for its exceptional geological and geomorphological features and active land formation processes with outstanding beauty attributed to the falls i.e. the spray, mist and rainbows. This transboundary property extends over 6860 ha and comprises 3779 ha of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park (Zambia), 2340 ha of Victoria Falls National Park (Zimbabwe), 741 ha of the riverine strip of Zambezi National Park (Zimbabwe). A riverine strip of the Zambezi National Park extending 9 km west along the right bank of the Zambezi and islands in the river are all within the Park as far as Palm and Kandahar Islands, with the Victoria Falls being one of the major attractions. The waterfall stands at an altitude of about 915 m above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.) and spans to about 1708 m wide with an average depth of 100 m and the deepest point being 108 m. Sprays from this giant waterfall can be seen from a distance of 30 km from the Lusaka road, Zambia and 50 km from Bulawayo road, Zimbabwe. Basalts have been cut by a river system producing a series of eight spectacular gorges that serve as breeding sites for four species of endangered birds. The basalts of the Victoria Falls World Heritage property are layered unlike those of the Giants Causeway World Heritage site which are vertical and columnar. The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls is the largest curtain of falling water in the world; it is 1708 m wide and with up to 500 million litres per minute descending at 61 m (Devil’s Cataract), 83 m (Main Falls), 99 m (Rainbow Falls), 98 m (Eastern Cataract). Eight spectacular gorges of igneous origin (i.e. comprising basalts) and several islands in the core zone serve as breeding sites for four endangered and migratory bird species, such as the Taita Falcon and Black Eagle. The riverine 'rainforest' within the waterfall splash zone is a fragile ecosystem of discontinuous forest on sandy alluvium, dependent upon maintenance of abundant water and high humidity resulting from the spray plume of about 500 m (at maximum height) that can be seen from a distance of 50 km and 30 km from Bulawayo and Lusaka roads respectively. A direct frontage viewing of the falls is possible from both Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls and associated eight steep sided gorges have been formed through the changing waterfall positions over a geological time scale. The gorges are an outstanding example of river capture and the erosive forces of the water still continue to sculpture the hard basalts. These gorges take a zigzag course of a distance of about 150 km along the Zambezi River below the falls. Seven previous waterfalls occupied the seven gorges below the present falls, and the Devil's Cataract in Zimbabwe is the starting point for cutting back to a new waterfall. In addition, an aerial view of the falls shows possible future waterfall positions. Upstream are a spectacular series of riverine islands formed during the ongoing geological and geomorphological processes. The property is characterized by banded basalt of ancient lava flow, Kalahari sandstones and chalcedony out of which stone artefacts of Homo habilis dating three million years, stone tools of the middle Stone Age and weapons, adornments and digging tools of the late Stone Age that indicate occupation by hunter-gatherers. Integrity The transboundary property extends over 6860 ha, which is considered relatively intact and adequately sized to maintain the diverse natural processes, functions and interactions including the waterfall, gorges, riverine ecosystem, breeding ground, habitat or landing base for migratory endangered bird species making it an Important Bird Area (IBA), lava flows, ancient stone artefacts and tools for hunter-gatherers. It comprises 3779 ha of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park (Zambia), 2340 ha of the Victoria Falls National Park (Zimbabwe), and 741 ha of the riverine strip of Zambezi National Park (Zimbabwe). The boundary includes areas of the Zambezi River upstream of the waterfall both in Zimbabwe and in Zambia. The remaining area of these protected areas is considered as the buffer zone on either side of the Zambezi River in Southern Zambia and north‐western Zimbabwe. The Mosi‐oa‐Tunya National Park boundary follows the left bank between the Sinde River and the Songwe Gorge, bounded in the North by Dambwa Forest Reserve and the Maramba Township. On the right bank, the Victoria Falls National Park is bounded by the river from 6 km above to 12 km below the falls and by the town of Victoria Falls on the West. Sprays from this giant waterfall can be seen from a distance of 30 km from the Lusaka road, Zambia and 50 km from Bulawayo road, Zimbabwe. The system is directly bordered by three protected areas which serve as buffering system. Protection and management requirements The property is protected under the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Act Cap. 20. 14 of 2008 (revised) on the Zimbabwean part and the National Heritage Conservation Act (1998) and the Zambia Wildlife Act on the Zambian side . This principal legislation provides for legal protection of the resources within the property. The property has a well-defined and buffered boundary which requires clean demarcation. It has a Joint Integrated Management Plan (JIMP) prepared in a participatory manner, approved by the State Parties in November 2007 and being implemented in a participatory manner. The Plan addresses specifically questions of transboundary coordination, management of urban and tourism facilities and funding schemes. It is divided into three administrative zones (High, Medium and Low Ecologically Sensitive Zones), each with specific prescriptions that best protect the specific resources and values found in each zone. These are surrounded by a buffer zone, and there is a challenge to ensure support for conservation within settlements in this area that pre-date the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List. The agreed institutional framework for the management of the property is at three levels: Joint Ministerial, Joint Technical and Joint Site Management Committees. The property requires continued maintenance and updating of its management plan, supported by adequate staffing and provision of financial resources. The falls being a major attraction, urban infrastructure developments, tourism facilities and services may impact the property’s integrity and therefore need to be carefully managed not to compromise the exceptional beauty and Outstanding Universal Value of the property. Effective and continued action is also required to tackle the current and potential impacts of alien species on the property. In 1989 Victoria Falls was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located
History of the Falls
Pre-Colonial to modern day
Pre-colonial History Diggings in Archaeological sites found around the falls area have yielded Homo habilis stone artifacts that date back to some 3 million years ago. Middle Stone Age tools (50 000 years) and Late Stone Age weapons and digging tools (10 000 and 2000 years) have also been found. Khoisan hunter gatherers using iron tools displaced these Stone Age people and they in turn were displaced by the Southern Tonga people now known as the Batoka tribe, these people still live in the area today. Iron-using Khoisan hunter-gatherers displaced these Stone Age people and in turn were displaced by Bantu tribes such as the southern Tonga people known as the Batoka/Tokalea, who called the falls Shungu na mutitima. The Matabele, later arrivals, named them aManz’ aThunqayo, and the Batswana and Makololo (whose language is used by the Lozi people) call them Mosi-o-Tunya. All these names mean essentially “the smoke that thunders”.War Later many more tribes arrived these included the Matabele and the Makololo tribe, also still present in the area. It was members of this Makololo tribe that escorted David Livingstone the first person to spread the word of the existence of the falls to the Western World on the 17th November 1855. However, Nicolas de Fer’s 1715 map of southern Africa has the fall clearly marked in the correct position. It also has dotted lines denoting trade routes that David Livingstone followed 140 years later. There also exists a map from c.1750 drawn by Jacques Nicolas Bellin for Abbé Antoine François Prevost d’Exiles marks the falls as “cataractes” and notes a settlement to the north of the Zambezi as being friendly with the Portuguese at the time. The falls were well known to local tribes, and Voortrekker hunters may have known of them, as may the Arabs under a name equivalent to “the end of the world”. Livingstone names the Falls During his 1852–56 journey from the upper Zambezi to the mouth of the river, Livingstone had been told about the falls before he reached them from upriver on 17 November 1855 and was paddled across to a small island that now bears the name Livingstone Island on the Zambian half of the river. Livingstone had previously been impressed by the Ngonye Falls further upstream, but was astounded with the new find, and gave them their English name in honour of Queen Victoria. He spent the night on Kalai Island a few kilometers upstream of the Falls, having come down river by foot, and the next morning he was paddled out by the local villagers in a small canoe to approach the thundering smoke. He landed on the biggest island on the lip of the falls, now called Livingstone Island and from there obtained his first view of the Falls. ” Creeping with awe to the verge, I peered down into a large rent which had been made from bank to bank of the broad Zambezi, and saw that a stream of a thousand yards broad leaped down a hundred feet and then became suddenly compressed into a space of fifteen to twenty yards….the most wonderful sight I had witnessed in Africa.” Of the surrounding area he wrote: “No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight” (Livingstone 1857). He sent word of the Falls to England deciding he would name them after Queen Victoria. Locals still refer to the Falls as Mosi Oa Tunya and the area continues to be revered as a sacred site among the local tribes. David Livingstone was obviously not the first person to see the Victoria Falls, although he is always credited as having discovered it. Many locals feel they should be rebranded Mosi Oa Tunya. In 1860, Livingstone returned to the area and made a detailed study of the falls with John Kirk. Other early European visitors included Portuguese explorer Serpa Pinto, Czech explorer Emil Holub, who made the first detailed plan of the falls and its surroundings in 1875 (published in 1880),[17] and British artist Thomas Baines, who executed some of the earliest paintings of the falls. Colonial Settlement The falls were seldom visited by other Europeans, until the area was opened up by the building of the railway in 1905. European settlement of the Victoria Falls area started around 1900 in response to the desire of Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company for mineral rights and imperial rule north of the Zambezi, and the exploitation of other natural resources such as timber forests north-east of the falls, and ivory and animal skins. Before 1905, the river was crossed above the falls at the Old Drift, by dugout canoe or a barge towed across with a steel cable. Rhodes’ vision of a Cape-Cairo railway drove plans for the first bridge across the Zambezi and he insisted it be built where the spray from the falls would fall on passing trains, so the site at the Second Gorge was chosen. See the page on Victoria Falls Bridge.Waterfall The falls became an increasingly popular attraction during British colonial rule of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), with the town of Victoria Falls on the Southern side, becoming the main tourist centre. By the end of the 1990’s almost 300,000 people were visiting the falls annually, and this was expected to rise to over a million in the next decade. The two countries permit tourists to make day trips from each side and visas can be obtained at the border posts. Costs vary from US$45-US$80 (as of 01 December 2013). Visitors with single entry visas will need to purchase a visa each time they cross the border. Regular changes in visa regulations mean visitors should check the rules before crossing the border. World Heritage Site In 1989 Victoria Falls was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seek to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. UNESCO World Heritage Site. The falls also enjoyed the position of one of the seven natural wonders of the world for many years. (this is voted on and changed from time to time). A visit to this spectacular and breathtaking natural phenomenon – the Smoke that Thunders, is truly a must see on any visit to Africa. And with the many varied activities to do in the surrounding area, it makes the trip all the more worthwhile.
The Zambezi River is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and it is one of the continent's major river systems. Here are some key historical and factual points about the Zambezi River: 1. Geographic Location: The Zambezi River flows through six countries: Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It is approximately 2,574 kilometers (1,599 miles) long. 2. Source: The Zambezi's main source is in northwestern Zambia, near the border with Angola, at a place called the Zambezi Source in the Mwinilunga District. 3. Victoria Falls: One of the most famous landmarks on the Zambezi River is Victoria Falls, one of the world's largest and most spectacular waterfalls. The falls are situated on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Zambezi River plunges into a gorge, creating a breathtaking display of water and mist. 4. Kariba Dam: The Zambezi River is dammed at several points along its course, and one notable dam is the Kariba Dam, which forms Lake Kariba on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The dam was completed in 1959 and is one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the world. 5. Economic Importance: The Zambezi River plays a crucial role in the economies of the countries it traverses. It provides water for agriculture, supports fishing activities, and is a source of hydroelectric power through the various dams along its course. 6. Biodiversity: The Zambezi River and its surrounding ecosystems are rich in biodiversity, supporting a variety of plant and animal species. The river is home to diverse aquatic life, including numerous fish species. 7. Indigenous Peoples: The regions along the Zambezi River have been inhabited by various indigenous peoples for centuries, each with their own cultures and traditions. 8. Exploration and European Contact: European explorers, such as David Livingstone, played a significant role in mapping and exploring the Zambezi River in the 19th century. Livingstone was the first European to witness Victoria Falls and named them in honor of Queen Victoria. 9. Political Significance: The Zambezi River has been a source of cooperation and occasional tension among the countries it flows through, leading to various international agreements on its use and management. 10. Conservation: Efforts are underway to conserve the Zambezi River and its surrounding ecosystems, recognizing its ecological importance and the need for sustainable development. The Zambezi River, with its remarkable features and contributions to the livelihoods of the people in the region, remains a significant and fascinating natural wonder in Africa.