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April 30, 2023 - Kafue Flats and Lake Manyeke, Zambia
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The Kafue River is the longest river flowing entirely within Zambia. Winding across more than 1500 kilometers (900 miles), it passes through a vast, shallow floodplain known as the Kafue Flats. These flats are inundated annually during the rainy season, creating a pulsing flow of water that is the heart of the people and the ecosystem.
More than 2,6000 hectares of land along the Kafue River and flats have recently been recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and also contain a Ramsar site and an Important Bird Area. The region is bounded by a national park as well as the large but shallow Manyeke Lake (also called Chunga Lagoon). More than 400 species of birds have been recorded along the Flats, and the region is home to zebra, buffalo, and an endemic small antelope known as the Kafue lechwe.
Although tourism occurs, especially by birders wanting to catch sight of rarities that are abundant here, tourism infrastructure is nearly absent, so tourism dollars are scarce. Instead, the region is used primarily for cattle grazing by natives who practice traditional pastoral culture, fishing, and agriculture.
Oh April 27, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of the Kafue River, Kafue Flats, and Lake Manyeke. This type of image makes it easy to separate water (blue) from vegetated land (bright electric green) and non-vegetated land, which appears tan. In the lower left corner, a bit of Lake Kariba, which sits across the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, can also be seen.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 4/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (142.7 KB), 500m (355.3 KB), 250m (219.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Kafue River is the longest river flowing entirely within Zambia. Winding across more than 1500 kilometers (900 miles), it passes through a vast, shallow floodplain known as the Kafue Flats. These flats are inundated annually during the rainy season, creating a pulsing flow of water that is the heart of the people and the ecosystem.
More than 2,6000 hectares of land along the Kafue River and flats have recently been recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and also contain a Ramsar site and an Important Bird Area. The region is bounded by a national park as well as the large but shallow Manyeke Lake (also called Chunga Lagoon). More than 400 species of birds have been recorded along the Flats, and the region is home to zebra, buffalo, and an endemic small antelope known as the Kafue lechwe.
Although tourism occurs, especially by birders wanting to catch sight of rarities that are abundant here, tourism infrastructure is nearly absent, so tourism dollars are scarce. Instead, the region is used primarily for cattle grazing by natives who practice traditional pastoral culture, fishing, and agriculture.
Oh April 27, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of the Kafue River, Kafue Flats, and Lake Manyeke. This type of image makes it easy to separate water (blue) from vegetated land (bright electric green) and non-vegetated land, which appears tan. In the lower left corner, a bit of Lake Kariba, which sits across the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, can also be seen.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 4/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (142.7 KB), 500m (355.3 KB), 250m (219.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
