Mogalakwena River

Mogalakwena
River
SPOT Satellite photograph of the northern Waterberg showing on the right the Mogalakwena river at 900 m. The villages by the river are Jakkalskuil and Kobeana, part of Mogalakwena Local Municipality
Name origin: Meaning "fierce crocodile", from bogale or mogale, 'fierce' and kwena, 'crocodile' in the Tswana language[1]
Country South Africa
State Limpopo Province
Source
 - elevation 1,060 m (3,478 ft)
 - coordinates ZA 24°16′25″S 28°58′37″E / 24.27361°S 28.97694°E / -24.27361; 28.97694
Source confluence Nyl River
 - location South of confluence with Dorps River
Mouth
 - location Limpopo River, South Africa/Botswana border
 - elevation 634 m (2,080 ft)
 - coordinates ZA 22°27′24″S 28°55′25″E / 22.45667°S 28.92361°E / -22.45667; 28.92361Coordinates: ZA 22°27′24″S 28°55′25″E / 22.45667°S 28.92361°E / -22.45667; 28.92361
Basin 19,195 km2 (7,411 sq mi)
Location of the Mogalakwena River mouth
[2]

The Mogalakwena River (Afrikaans: Magalakwenarivier) is one of the main watercourses in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is also a major tributary of the Limpopo River.

Course

This river flows from the eastern side of the Waterberg Massif northeastwards through a wide flooded plain as the Nyl River. After about 80 km it starts bending northwards and its name changes to Mogalakwena. Then it flows across Limpopo Province until it joins the right bank of the Limpopo River at the South Africa/Botswana border.[3]

The basin of the Mogalakwena is affected by a five-year rain cycle in which the river is virtually dry for five years, followed by another five years in which there is sufficient water flow.[4] There are 8 dams in the Mogalakwena basin.[5]

The highest concentration of hippopotamus in the Limpopo River is found between the Mokolo and the Mogalakwena Rivers.[6]

Tributaries

The southernmost stretch of the Mogalakwena River is the Nyl River, known for its wide flood-plain, also known as the Nyl pan (Afrikaans: Nylsvlei). The flood-plain now the site of the Nylsvley Nature Reserve,[7] which is one of the largest single ecosystems in South Africa for aquatic birds.[8]

The Sterk, Mothlakole, Dorps, Rooisloot, Groot Sandsloot, Matlalane, Seepabana, Pholotsi and Thwathwe, are tributaries of the Mogalakwena.[9]

Dams in the basin

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dictionary of Southern African Place Names Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  2. ↑ Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Limpopo WMA 1
  4. ↑ Mogalakwena municipality: assessment of information (PDF) Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  5. ↑ Mogalakwena Sub-basin Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  6. ↑ State of Rivers Report: the Mokolo River (PDF)
  7. ↑ Nylsvlei Nature Reserve
  8. ↑ Hydrological and hydraulic modelling of the Nyl River floodplain (PDF) Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  9. ↑ Mogalakwena catchment (PDF)


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