Sesheke is a border town in the Western Province

Western Province, Zambia

Western Province, encompasses the area formerly known as Barotseland in the colonial era.-Districts:Western Province is divided into 7 districts:*Kalabo District*Kaoma District*Lukulu District*Mongu District*Senanga District*Sesheke District...

 of Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, and a district

Districts of Zambia

The nine provinces of Zambia are divided into a total of 72 districts.Article 109 in part VIII of the constitution of Zambia deals with local government...

 of the same name. It lies on the northern bank of the Zambezi River which forms the border with Namibia's

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 Caprivi Strip

Caprivi Strip

Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip , Caprivi Panhandle or the Okavango Strip and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about , between Botswana to the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and Okavango Region to the west. Caprivi is bordered by the...

 at that point.

The Katima Mulilo Bridge

Katima Mulilo Bridge

The Katima Mulilo Bridge carries the TransCaprivi Highway over the Zambezi River between Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Sesheke, Zambia. It is a road bridge, completed in 2004, 900 metres long and with 19 spans...

, completed in May 2004, spans the river here, connecting Sesheke with the Namibian town of Katima Mulilo

Katima Mulilo

Katima Mulilo is the capital of the Caprivi Strip, Namibia's far north–east extension into central Southern Africa. It comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban...

. The paved road from Sesheke to Livingstone

Livingstone, Zambia

Livingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls...

 and the Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...

 200 km east has been upgraded in 2004. The new bridge and road were financed by German donor bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau and were the last missing link in the so-called "Trans Caprivi Corridor". This 2500 km long asphalt road now connects Zambia's Copperbelt with Namibia's sea port Walvis Bay. As a direct result, the amount of road freight traffic has greatly increased. An investment and construction boom is rapidly transforming both Sesheke and Katima Mulilo, as well as surrounding areas.

Improved road access and the construction of new lodges and other tourist facilities have also increased the number of tourists passing through Sesheke on their way to the Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...

, to the Sioma Ngwezi National Park

Sioma Ngwezi National Park

Sioma Ngwezi National Park is a 5000-square-kilometre park in the very south west corner of Zambia. It is undeveloped and rarely visited, lacking roads and being off the usual tourist tracks, but this may change in the future....

 50 km west of the town, or to the upper Zambezi and the Barotse Floodplain.

The recent boom has also increased rural-urban migration, the growth of squatter camps near Sesheke and Katima Mulilo, cross-border smuggling and related social problems on both sides of the Zambian-Namibian border. Both Sesheke District and the Caprivi Region are at the bottom end of socio-economic development in their respective countries.

A main highway, unpaved and therefore in poor condition (extremely poor during the rainy season, November to April), runs alongside the Zambezi connecting Sesheke to Senanga

Senanga

Senanga is a town in the Western Province of Zambia, on the eastern bank of the Zambezi River, at the southern end of its Barotse Floodplain. It lies on the main road running parallel to the river from Livingstone and Sesheke to Mongu, which crosses the river by a pontoon ferry about 15 km ...

 and Mongu

Mongu

Mongu is the capital of Western Province in Zambia and was the capital of the formerly-named province and historic state, Barotseland. Its population is 44,310 , and it is also headquarters of Mongu District.-Geography:...

upriver. The road runs on the south bank of the river upstream from Sesheke. Zambian traffic must cross the bridge but does not have to enter Namibia, as the bridge is entirely located on Zambian territory.