Okavango
/ˌoʊ.kəˈvæŋ.ɡoʊ/noun
A major river in southern Africa that forms a vast inland delta in Botswana rather than reaching the sea.
Did you know?“Okavango” is closely connected with “Kavango” and Portuguese “Cubango,” but the deeper local origin of the name remains uncertain; the popular claim that it means “river that never finds the sea” is not securely established.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Local languages
Kavango
“A regional name associated with the Kavango peoples and the river basin; the ultimate linguistic origin is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
Portuguese
Cubango
“Portuguese form of the river’s name, used in descriptions of the river in Angola.”
19th Century
European maps
Okavango
“An emerging European cartographic form of the river name, influenced by local forms and Portuguese usage.”
20th Century
English
Okavango
“The standard English name for the river and its inland delta in southern Africa.”
Modern English
English
Okavango Delta
“The river’s extensive inland delta in northwestern Botswana, a wetland that disperses into the Kalahari rather than reaching the ocean.”