Editing Zambezi (section)

===Upper Zambezi===
The river flows to the southwest into Angola for about {{cvt|240|km|mi}}, then is joined by sizeable [[tributary|tributaries]] such as the [[Luena River, Angola|Luena]] and the Chifumage flowing from highlands to the north-west.<ref name=Dorling/> It turns south and develops a [[floodplain]], with extreme width variation between the dry and rainy seasons. It enters dense evergreen [[Zambezian dry evergreen forest|''Cryptosepalum ''dry forest]], though on its western side, [[Western Zambezian grasslands]] also occur. Where it re-enters Zambia, it is nearly {{cvt|400|m|ft}} wide in the rainy season and flows rapidly, with [[rapids]] ending in the [[Chavuma Falls]], where the river flows through a rocky fissure. The river drops about {{cvt|400|m|ft}} in elevation from its source at {{cvt|1500|m|ft}} to the Chavuma Falls at {{cvt|1100|m|ft}}, over a distance of about {{cvt|400|km|mi}}. From this point to the Victoria Falls, the level of the basin is very uniform, dropping only by another {{cvt|180|m|ft}} across a distance of around {{cvt|800|km|mi}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Geology |date=2014-11-25 |title=Zambezi River |url=https://www.geologypage.com/2014/11/zambezi-river.html |access-date=2021-05-20 |website=Geology Page |language=en-US |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520095950/https://www.geologypage.com/2014/11/zambezi-river.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=June 2022}}

The first of its large tributaries to enter the Zambezi is the [[Kabompo River]] in the [[North-Western Province, Zambia|North-Western Province]] of Zambia. The [[savanna]] through which the river flows gives way to a wide floodplain, studded with ''[[Borassus]]'' [[fan palm]]s. A little farther south is the [[confluence]] with the [[Lungwebungu River]]. This is the beginning of the [[Barotse Floodplain]], the most notable feature of the upper Zambezi, but this northern part does not flood so much and includes islands of higher land in the middle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zambezi River Facts and Information |url=https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/zambezi-river.html |access-date=2021-05-22 |website=www.victoriafalls-guide.net |archive-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507055636/https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/zambezi-river.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

About 30&nbsp;km below the confluence of the Lungwebungu, the country becomes very flat, and the typical Barotse Floodplain landscape unfolds, with the flood reaching a width of 25&nbsp;km in the rainy season. For more than 200&nbsp;km downstream, the annual flood cycle dominates the natural environment and human life, society, and culture. About 80&nbsp;km further down, the [[Luanginga River|Luanginga]], which with its tributaries drains a large area to the west, joins the Zambezi. A short distance higher up on the east, the main stream is joined in the rainy season by overflow of the [[Luampa River|Luampa]]/[[Luena River (Zambia)|Luena]] system.<ref name="Dorling" />

A short distance downstream of the confluence with the Luanginga is [[Lealui]], one of the capitals of the [[Lozi people]], who populate the Zambian region of [[Barotseland]] in the Western Province. The chief of the Lozi maintains one of his two compounds at Lealui; the other is at [[Limulunga]], which is on high ground and serves as the capital during the rainy season. The annual move from Lealui to Limulunga is a major event, celebrated as one of Zambia's best-known festivals, the [[Kuomboka]].

After Lealui, the river turns south-southeast. From the east, it continues to receive numerous small streams, but on the west, it is without major tributaries for 240&nbsp;km. Before this, the [[Ngonye Falls]] and subsequent rapids interrupt navigation. South of Ngonye Falls, the river briefly borders Namibia's [[Caprivi Strip]].<ref name=Dorling/> Below the junction of the [[Cuando River]] and the Zambezi, the river bends almost due east. Here, the river is broad and shallow and flows slowly, but as it flows eastward towards the border of the great central plateau of Africa, it reaches a chasm into which the Victoria Falls plunge.