Over the last one hundred years a major change has occurred in the distribution of population on the Upper Zambezi flood plain and its margins (Fig. 12. 1), involving a decline in the importance of flood-plain dwelling and a concentration of settlement along the margin of the plain. The process has been stimulated by economic, ecological, social and political factors and has proceeded in a series of surges in response to particular combinations of these influences. This paper focuses on the impact upon population redistribution of development measures introduced by the pre-colonial, colonial and independent administrations in that area.

The ecological basis of flood-plain settlement

The Upper Zambezi flood plain is a shallow depression some 30 km wide and almost 200 km long, cut into the gently undulating surface of the Kalahari (Barotse) sands which cover most of the Western Province of Zambia. The flood plain is bounded on the eastern side by a 50 m escarpment, but on the west the escarpment is more gentle and only 20 m high. The predominantly grassland flood plain stands out in contrast to the surrounding uplands which are forested. In the higher areas on the plain some trees are found, but these are now restricted to a few localities, although formerly they were more common.

The plain and its margins may be divided into a number of land facets (Peters, 1960:30–1). The central part of the plain, known as bulozi, is the lowest-lying area.