VICTORIA FALLS
Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Wonders
of the World. David Livingstone, the Scottish
missionary and explorer, is believed to have
been the first European to view Victoria Falls
on 16 November 1855, from what is now
known as Livingstone Island, one of two land
masses in the middle of the river, immediately
upstream from the falls on the Zambian side.
Livingstone named his discovery in honour of
Queen Victoria of Britain, but the indigenous
Tonga name, Mosi-oa-Tunya — “The Smoke
That Thunders” — continues in common
usage as well. The World Heritage List officially
recognizes both names.
The nearby national park in Zambia is
named Mosi-oa-Tunya, whereas the national
park and town on the Zimbabwean shore are
both named Victoria Falls.
LADY JACQULINE
The Okavango Delta (formerly spelled
Okovango or Okovanggo) in Botswana is a
very large, swampy inland delta formed where
the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough
in the central part of the endorheic basin of
the Kalahari. All the water reaching the Delta
is ultimately evaporated and transpired, and
does not flow into any sea or ocean. Each year
approximately 11 cubic kilometers of water
spreads over the 6,000-15,000 km2 area.
Some flood-waters drain into Lake Ngami.
The Moremi Game Reserve, a National
Park, is on the eastern side of the Delta. The
scale and magnificence of the Okavango
Delta helped it secure a position as one of
the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, which
were officially declared on February 11, 2013
in Arusha, Tanzania.