(also Okavango), a river in southern Africa (Angola, Namibia, Botswana). Length, 1,600 km. Basin area, approximately 800,000 sq km. The river rises on the Bié Plateau in Angola and ends in the internal drainage region of the Kalahari, forming a swampy delta (the Okavango Swamp). The southern branch of the delta empties into Lake Ngami, and the northern branch periodically empties into the Cuando River (a tributary of the Zambezi. The Botletle branch supplies water to the swamps of the Makarikari Depression. The principal tributary is the Cuito (on the left). The Cubango has high water along with floods during the summer rains.