Map of Namibia and the route we travelled

If you look at a map of the country, you’ll notice an odd strip of land in the top right above Botswana. The Caprivi Strip is a long, narrow extension of Namibia, running around 280 miles from the northeast corner to the Zambezi River. In colonial times the United Kingdom and Germany were carving up ownership of land in Africa. The UK ceded the Strip to Germany during the latter’s ownership of the country between 1884 - 1919. The Germans wanted this land to provide access to the Zambezi River and a route to Africa’s east coast. After the First World War the Strip became part of South Africa, and ultimately Namibia as we now know it.