Kalabo

Kalabo
City
Kalabo
Coordinates: 14°59′28″S 22°40′44″E
Country	Zambia
Province	Western Province
District	Kalabo District
Elevation	1,019 m (3,343 ft)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	7,731
	Estimate
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
Climate	Cwa

Kalabobo in Zambia location map

Kalabo is an urban centre and the seat of Kalabo District, in the Western Province of Zambia.^[2]

Geography

Location

The town is located on the plains west of the Zambezi River and the Barotse Floodplain, and approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi), by road east of the town of Sikongo, Zambia, close to the border with Angola.^[3] This is approximately 660 kilometres (410 mi), by road, west of Lusaka, Zambia's capital and largest city.^[4]

The geographical coordinates of Kalabo are:14°59'28.0"S, 22°40'44.0"E (Latitude:-14.991111; Longitude:22.678889).^[5] Kalabo sits at an average elevation of 1,019 metres (3,343 ft) above mean sea level.^[6]

Climate

Kalabo has a fairly dry tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw),^[7] characterized by warm to hot temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons. June and July are the coolest months, while October is the hottest month with average high temperatures exceeding 35 °C (95 °F). The wet season, from November to March, experiences significant rainfall, while the dry season, from May to October, is marked by a lack of precipitation.^[8]

Climate data for Kalabo (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	39.5 (103.1)	37.6 (99.7)	37.0 (98.6)	38.4 (101.1)	35.0 (95.0)	33.6 (92.5)	33.4 (92.1)	37.5 (99.5)	39.4 (102.9)	40.3 (104.5)	39.8 (103.6)	38.0 (100.4)	40.3 (104.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30.4 (86.7)	30.6 (87.1)	30.5 (86.9)	30.4 (86.7)	29.3 (84.7)	27.4 (81.3)	27.3 (81.1)	31.0 (87.8)	33.8 (92.8)	35.4 (95.7)	33.1 (91.6)	31.5 (88.7)	29.2 (84.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	24.6 (76.3)	24.9 (76.8)	24.9 (76.8)	24.0 (75.2)	21.3 (70.3)	18.7 (65.7)	18.4 (65.1)	21.6 (70.9)	24.6 (76.3)	26.7 (80.1)	25.8 (78.4)	25.2 (77.4)	23.4 (74.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	18.8 (65.8)	19.2 (66.6)	19.2 (66.6)	17.6 (63.7)	13.3 (55.9)	10.0 (50.0)	9.5 (49.1)	12.1 (53.8)	15.4 (59.7)	18.0 (64.4)	18.4 (65.1)	18.9 (66.0)	14.7 (58.5)
Record low °C (°F)	15.6 (60.1)	15.6 (60.1)	13.1 (55.6)	7.7 (45.9)	4.8 (40.6)	2.0 (35.6)	2.8 (37.0)	4.6 (40.3)	7.6 (45.7)	11.0 (51.8)	8.5 (47.3)	14.5 (58.1)	2.0 (35.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	197.8 (7.79)	149.9 (5.90)	141.7 (5.58)	40.3 (1.59)	0.6 (0.02)	0.1 (0.00)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.8 (0.03)	15.5 (0.61)	70.6 (2.78)	140.0 (5.51)	757.2 (29.81)
Source: NOAA[8]

Overview

It is situated on the bank of the Luanginga River across which a small pontoon ferry connects to a dirt track going north-west to the Angolan border. Kalabo is the base for the Liuwa Plain National Park which can be reached by off-road vehicles about 20 kilometres (12 mi), north of the pontoon. Zambia's Western Province was formerly known as Barotseland, and Liuwa Plain was the Barotse king's hunting grounds which Lewanika made into a game reserve in the 19th century.^[9]

Population

In 2010, the national population census and household survey enumerated the population of Kalabo Town at 2,178 people.^[10] In 2020, the town's population was estimated at 7,731 inhabitants.^[1]

Transport

Access to Kalabo by road was difficult but now after the completion of the road between Kalabo and Mongu, it is now easier. The section crossing the floodplain is called the Barotse Floodplain Causeway and is counted as an extension of the Lusaka-Mongu Road. The Mongu-Kalabo Road measures 70 kilometres (43 mi) in length.^[11] The city of Mongu is the provincial capital of Zambia's Western Province.^[12]

Before the construction of the road, Kalabo was usually cut off by road in the rainy season. The dirt tracks across the floodplain from Mongu become flooded, and frequently in poor condition at other times. The tracks go to two ferries across the main channel of the Zambezi, a northern one near Libonda accessed from Mongu via Limulunga, and a southern one at Sandaula accessed via Lealui. In recent years dirt roads on raised earth embankments have been constructed from Mongu to Lealui and from Kalabo to Sandaula. This is part of an ambitious long-term regional plan to provide the first ever major link between the road networks of Zambia and Angola via a paved causeway across the floodplain and a bridge over the Zambezi, replacing the ferry. A paved highway would then be built from Kalabo north-west to the Angolan border and beyond. Although originally intended for completion in 2006, construction has proved more difficult than anticipated and large sections were washed away in floods in 2003/2004, resulting in funding shortfalls.^[13]

Kalabo is also served by Kalabo Airport, approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi), west of the town.^[14]

See also

• Transport in Zambia

References

1. World Population Review (2020). "Population of Cities in Zambia". World Population Review. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
2. Comboni Missionary Sisters (2020). "Profile of Kalabo Town and Kalabo District". Rome: Comboniane.org. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
3. "Distance Between Kalabo, Zambia and Sikongo, Zambia" (Map). Google Maps.
4. "Road Distance Between Lusaka and Kalabo" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
5. "Location of Kalabo, Zambia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
6. Flood Map (10 June 2020). "Elevation of Kalabo, Zamba". Floodmap.net. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
7. "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data. 23 October 2023.
8. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kalabo". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
9. Hugh Macmillan (2020). "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Lewanika (c.1842–1916)". Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
10. Central Statistical Office Zambia (14 July 2019). "Urban Population of Kalabo District in 2010". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
11. "Road Distance Between Kalabo and Mongu" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
12. Benedict Tembo (29 January 2018). "Mongu feels ripe for city status". Zambia Daily Mail. Lusaka. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
13. Chris McIntyre (2004). "The Bradt Zambia Travel Guide: "The Western Provinces :Barotseland, Mongu: Getting There & Away"". Zambia Travel Guide. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
14. "Road Distance Between Kalabo and Kalabo Airport" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 11 June 2020.

External links

• Mongu and the Mongu-Kalabo Road in Pictures As of 15 April 2016.