Back بحيرة كاريبا Arabic Карыба Byelorussian कैरीबा झील Bihari কারিবা হ্রদ Bengali/Bangla Llac Kariba Catalan Kariba Czech Karibasøen Danish Kariba Esperanto Lago Kariba Spanish Kariba järv Estonian
| Lake Kariba | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Lake Kariba | |
| Coordinates | 16°55′S 28°00′E / 16.917°S 28.000°E |
| Lake type | Hydroelectric reservoir |
| Catchment area | 663,000 km2 (256,000 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Max. length | 223 km (139 mi) |
| Max. width | 40 km (25 mi) |
| Surface area | 5,580 km2 (2,150 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 29 m (95 ft) |
| Max. depth | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Water volume | 180 cubic kilometres (43 cu mi) |
| Surface elevation | 479 metres (1,572 ft) |
| Islands | Chete Island Sekula Chikanka. |
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) upstream from the mouth of the Zambezi river on the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba Dam at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River.
The Zimbabwean town of Kariba was built for construction workers on the lake's dam, while some other settlements such as Binga village and Mlibizi in Zimbabwe and Siavonga and Sinazongwe in Zambia have expanded to house people displaced by the damming of the river.