A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia by IRDNC Selma el Obeid and John Mendelsohn for the Every River has its People Project Rössing Foundation A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia Contents Introduction 1 The physical environment 5 People and social conditions 16 Livelihoods and environmental pressures 26 Acknowledgements, notes and sources 45 Selma el Obeid and John Mendelsohn © Research and Information Services of Namibia (RAISON) PO Box 80044 Windhoek, Namibia E-mail:
[email protected] Published by the Namibia Nature Foundation January 2001 A view of the Okavango Basin and the Cuito River, as photo- For information on the “Every River has its People Project” contact: graphed from a space shuttle in August 1991. The many fi res Namibia Nature Foundation burning in and around the region provide a background of PO Box 245, Windhoek, Namibia smoke. Courtesy of NASA. Tel +264 61 248345 Fax +264 61 248344 www.nnf.org.na E-mail:
[email protected] Chapter 1: Introduction A Preliminary Profi le of the Kavango Region in Namibia has been produced to provide background material for Equator the “Every River has its People” project1. The bulk of the report consists of maps and graphs derived largely from analyses of recent surveys, censuses and mapping projects. Brief comments are offered to help users " Luanda interpret the analyses and to highlight major issues and processes in the region, especially those relating to ANGOLA natural resources. References to notes and sources of information on page 45 are indicated by superscript numbers.