B8
Many of the borders that divide the world today were drawn by European powers during the era of colonialism. These borders reflect strategic choices that were made in the interest of exploitation and control of territory. To this day, the outline of Namibia features a peculiar 450-km-long panhandle that stretches eastward towards Zimbabwe—a relic of German colonial rule that came into being through a land swap with Britain.
Why did Germany want this random stretch of British Africa? Because it ended at the Zambezi River, which would provide—or so the Germans thought—a route to the Indian Ocean and Germany’s East African territories. However, the German negotiators should have checked a map. 60 kilometres downstream the Zambezi becomes impassable for boats due to a 110-meter drop: Victoria Falls.
The most visible manifestation of this colonial legacy is the B8 road, which connects the towns of Rundu (in the West) and Katima Mulilo (in the East) in an almost straight line.