Why Namibia Has This Panhandle?

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]If you look at the map of Namibia, you will notice a strangely shaped panhandle extending all the way to Zimbabwe. This narrow strip of land is called the Capri Strip. And it is this very strip that brings Namibia, Batswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia together at a single point, a unique spot known as a quadripoint. But how did this 450 km long piece of land become a part of Namibia? Back in the 1800s, Namibia was a German colony while present day Tanzania was also under German rule. However, trading between these two colonies required a massive detour. For this reason, in 1890, they wanted to connect Namibia to the Zambzi River so they could establish a shorter naval route between the two colonies using the waterway. At that time, this territory was under British control. The British knew very well that navigation on the Zambzi River was impossible due to Victoria Falls, located between Zimbabwe and Zambia. But the Germans were completely unaware of this. As a result, the British handed this strip over to Germany and in exchange they took several other African territories from the Germans. However, after acquiring the land, the Germans discovered Victoria Falls, completely ruining the very purpose for which they had taken this territory.