Kavango
/kəˈvæŋɡoʊ/noun
A region and river area in northeastern Namibia, also associated with the Kavango peoples and the Okavango River.
Did you know?Kavango is closely connected with the river called Okavango in Botswana and Cubango in Angola, but scholars do not agree on a securely documented original meaning for the name.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Bantu languages
Kavango
“A regional name associated with the Kavango area and its peoples; the ultimate meaning is uncertain.”
19th Century
Portuguese
Cubango
“A Portuguese form used for the river now commonly called the Okavango.”
19th–20th Century
German
Kavango
“A colonial-era geographic and ethnographic name for the region and its inhabitants.”
20th Century
English
Kavango
“A recognized name for the northeastern Namibian region and the Kavango peoples.”
Modern English
English
Kavango
“A geographic and ethnocultural proper noun, especially in references to Namibia, Angola, and the Okavango basin.”