Editing Zambezi (section)

==Economy==
The population of the Zambezi River Valley is estimated to be about 32 million.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} About 80% of the population of the valley is dependent on agriculture, and the upper river's floodplains provide good agricultural land.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horta |first=Loro |date=20 May 2008 |title=The Zambezi Valley: China's First Agricultural Colony? |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/zambezi-valley-chinas-first-agricultural-colony |access-date=11 May 2024}}</ref>

Communities by the river fish it extensively, and many people travel from far afield to fish. Some Zambian towns on roads leading to the river levy unofficial "fish taxes" on people taking Zambezi fish to other parts of the country. Game fishing, as well as fishing for food, is a significant activity on some parts of the river. Between [[Mongu]] and [[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]], several [[safari]] lodges cater to tourists who want to fish for exotic species, and many also catch fish to sell to [[Public aquarium|aquaria]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-30 |title=The Zambezi River, Drained Bone Dry |url=https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/blog-the-zambezi-river-drained-bone-dry/ |access-date=2021-05-20 |website=International Rivers |language=en-US |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520091130/https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/blog-the-zambezi-river-drained-bone-dry/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mikva |first=Keren |date=2016-06-30 |title=12 Things You Didn't Know About the Economy of the Zambezi River - Page 4 of 14 |url=https://moguldom.com/128710/12-things-didnt-know-economy-zambezi-river/ |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=Moguldom |language=en-US}}</ref>

The river valley is rich in mineral deposits and fossil fuels, and coal mining is important in places. The dams along its length also provide employment for many people near them, in maintaining the hydroelectric power stations and the dams themselves. Several parts of the river are also very popular tourist destinations. Victoria Falls receives over 100,000 visitors annually, with 141,929 visitors reported in 2015.<ref>[http://www.mota.gov.zm/index.php/downloads/data-and-statistics/34-2015-tourism-statistical-digest/file] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325175218/http://www.mota.gov.zm/index.php/downloads/data-and-statistics/34-2015-tourism-statistical-digest/file|date=25 March 2018}} Republic of Zambia Ministry of Tourism and Arts 2015 Tourism Statistical Digest</ref> [[Mana Pools National Park|Mana Pools]] and Lake Kariba also draw substantial tourist numbers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hydroelectric Power: Advantages of Production and Usage |url=https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hydroelectric-power-advantages-production-and-usage?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects |access-date=2021-05-20 |website=www.usgs.gov |language=en |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520091447/https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hydroelectric-power-advantages-production-and-usage?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zimbabwe |url=https://www.inventtour.com/Countries/15/Zimbabwe |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=InventTour |language=en}}</ref>