A century of development measures and population redistribution along the Upper Zambezi

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.