KUNENE, formerly known also as Nourse, a river of South West Africa, with a length of over 70o m., mainly within Portu guese territory, but in its lower course forming the boundary between Angola and South-West Africa. The main stream rises in 12° 3o' S. and about 16o m. in a direct line from the sea at Ben guella and runs generally from north to south through four degrees of latitude, but finally flows west to the sea through a break in the outer highlands. A little south of 16° S. it receives the Kulonga from the east, and in about 16° so' the Kakulovar from the west. Between the mouths of the Kulonga and Kakul ovar the Kunene traverses a swampy plain, inundated during high water, and containing several small lakes at other parts of the year. From this swampy region divergent branches run south-east. They are mainly intermittent, but the Kwamatuo, which leaves the main stream in about 5° 8' E., 17° 15' S., flows into a large marsh or lake called Etosha, which occupies a depression in the inner table land about 3,400 f t. above sea-level. From the south-eastern end
of the Etosha lake streams issue in the direction of the Okavango, to which in times of great flood they contribute some water. From the existence of this divergent system it is conjectured that at one time the Kunene formed part of the Okavango, and thus of the Zambezi basin. (See NcAmi.) On leaving the swampy region the Kunene turns decidedly to the west, and descends to the coast plain by a number of cataracts, of which the chief (in 17° 25' S., 14° 20' E.) has a fall of 330 feet. The river becomes smaller in volume as it passes through an almost desert region with little or no vegetation. The stream is sometimes shallow and fordable, at others confined to a narrow rocky channel. Near the sea the Kunene traverses a region of sand-hills, its mouth being completely blocked at low water. The river enters the Atlantic in 17° 18' S., I I° 40' E. There are indica tions that a former branch of the river once entered a bay to the south.