| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | No | |||||
| Freshwater | 151 | 29 | No | Daget, J., J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 | ||
| Total | 151 | 28 | No | |||
| Conservation | The following information is to be sought: - Status of knowledge of the freshwater fauna; - Existence of conservation plans; - Information on major aquatic habitats or sites within the country; - Current major threats to species; - Future potential threats to species; - Contact(s) for further information. |
| Geography and Climate |
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, straddling the high plateau between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. The plateau consists of three relief regions: the high veld (over 1,200 m); the middle veld (915 to 1,220 m) and the low veld (below 915 m). The latter comprises the Zambezi basin in the north and the bigger Limpopo and Sabi-Lundi basins in the south and southeast, respectively.
The three relief regions have undulating plateaus with surface broken locally by rock formations, some of which are large landforms such as the Great Dyke (480 km long by 10 km wide). The border with Mozambique constitutes a fourth relief region known as the Eastern Highlands. This region marks the uplifted edge of the tableland of south-central Africa and is extremely mountainous, with many peaks exceeding 1,800 m (i.e., Mt. Inyangani: 2,594 m).
This wide range of altitude tends to moderate temperatures. On the high veld, mean monthly temperatures range from 13°C (July) to 22°C (October). Comparative values for the low-lying Zambezi Basin are 20°C to 30°C. Rainfall varies but is insufficient. It is restricted to the period between November and March. In the Eastern Highlands, the mean annual rainfall is 1,400 mm, while the northeastern highveld and the Limpopo basin receive about 800 and 400 mm, respectively.
The wide range of rainfall and the mixture of physical formations have given rise to the following different agricultural regions:
(a) diversified farming on the high and middle velds;
(b) intensive crop production, as for (a);
(c) extensive livestock farming (wet areas);
(d) extensive ranching (semi-arid areas); and
(e) land unsuitable for agriculture (4%).
The three relief regions have undulating plateaus with surface broken locally by rock formations, some of which are large landforms such as Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |
| Hydrography |
Lakes: there are no natural lakes of any significant size in Zimbabwe.
Rivers, floodplains and swamps: river flows are variable and characteristically seasonal, with the largest flows occurring during the rainy season (November to March). There are seven major river systems within Zimbabwe which carry about 65% of its runoff, while the balance (35%) originates from the country's northern (Zambia) and southern (South Africa) borders.
Reservoirs: there exist about 120 large dams. The total capacity is over 3,900 million m3. Cayron and De Fooz (1981) (Ref. 12100) indicate 121 dams of 4,088 million m3. These have been mainly constructed by Ministry of Water Development for domestic, industrial and hydroelectric purposes.
Over 8,000 small dams now exist, of which 75% are private farm dams. These impoundments are shallows, monomictic (overturn in April), and highly seasonal water bodies.
Coastal lagoons: none; Zimbabwe is landlocked. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |