Limpopo River

The Limpopo River is a long and important river. It starts in South Africa and flows eastward into Mozambique before reaching the Indian Ocean. It is about 1,750 kilometers (1,090 miles) long.

The first European to see the river was Vasco da Gama in 1498. Today, some local communities call it the Vhembe.

Course

The Limpopo River flows in a big curve. It starts by going north, then turns north-east, and finally heads east and south-east. For about 640 kilometres, it marks the border between South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The river gets its name where the Marico River and the Crocodile River meet.

Important smaller rivers flow into the Limpopo, such as the Notwane River from Botswana and the Olifants River. Other rivers joining it include the Shashe, Mzingwane, Crocodile, Mwenezi, and Luvuvhu Rivers. In South Africa, the river runs along the edge of Kruger National Park. The town of Xai-Xai in Mozambique sits near where the river meets the sea.

Tributaries

The Limpopo River has several smaller rivers that flow into it. These are called tributaries. They add water to the main river.

Basin characteristics

The Limpopo River flows slowly and carries a lot of silt. A famous storybook author once described it as a wide, greenish river with tall trees along its banks. The rain that feeds the river comes only at certain times of the year and can be very uneven. In dry years, the upper parts of the river may flow for only 40 days or even less.

The land near the river starts in a very dry desert area but becomes less dry as you move downstream. The middle part of the river runs past a forested mountain area with only a few people living there. The lower parts of the river are fertile and support many people — about 14 million live in the area where the river flows. Sometimes, when it rains a lot, the river can flood and cause problems for people living along it.

The Limpopo River is home to many hippos, especially between two smaller rivers called the Mokolo and the Mogalakwena. There is also a lot of mining happening in the area around the river, with many working mines and even more that are no longer in use.

History

Vasco da Gama was one of the first Europeans to see the Limpopo River when he stopped near its mouth in 1498. People have lived in this area for a very long time—fossils found near Mokopane are from Australopithecus and are over 3.5 million years old. In 1868–69, St Vincent Whitshed Erskine visited the river’s mouth.

In July 1950, a Zambezi shark was caught far up the river. These sharks can live in fresh water and travel far. In 2013, Nile crocodiles entered the river from a nearby farm.