Caledon River
| Mouth of the watercourse | Orange River  |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | Orange River basin |
| Country | Lesotho, South Africa |
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Lesotho |
| Coordinate location | 28°37′3″S 28°42′11″E, 30°31′18″S 26°4′13″E |
De Caledon River (Sotho: Mohokare) be a major river wey locate insyd central South Africa. Ein total length be 642 km (399 mi), wey dey rise insyd de Drakensberg Mountains on de Lesotho border, dey flow southwestward den then westward before joining de Orange River near Bethulie insyd de southern Free State. Na de river originally be named Prinses Wilhelminas Rivier insyd 1777, by Colonel R J Gordon.[1]
Geography
[edit | edit source]De origin of de River Caledon dey insyd de former bantustan of QwaQwa, near de border plus Lesotho, southwest of Witsieshoek. E then dey flow south-west wey dey border Lesotho ein capital city, Maseru. E dey form de border between South Africa den Lesotho before entering South Africa ein Free State province (north of Wepener). E then dey flow westward before joining de Orange River near Bethulie insyd southern Free State, just before flowing into de Gariep Dam. Ein total length be about 480 km (300 mi), den ein valley dey experience great temperature swings.[2] De land insyd de wedge between Caledon River den Orange River dey form de 22,000-ha Tussen-die-Riviere Nature Reserve.[3]
River
[edit | edit source]De river be de primary source of water give Maseru, de capital of Lesotho, wich dey stand on de river. During periods of low rainfall, water shortages fi ensue. To combat dis, dem create several reservoirs plus structures such as de Muela Dam den de Meulspruit Dam.[4] Insyd 2003, water be released from here to avert drought.[5]
De Caledon Valley be important insyd de history of de Basotho people. De area be exceptionally fertile wey e fi be farmed widout irrigation. Dis make am desirable wey e be one of de causes of de conflict between de Basotho den de Boers.[6] Dem dey grow maize on a large scale insyd de Caledon Valley.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Raper, P.E. (1987). Dictionary of South African Place Names (PDF). p. 105.
- 1 2 "Caledon River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ "Tussen Die Riviere Game Reserve". SA Places. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ "Caledon River - Dams". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
- ↑ "Drought". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2005.
- ↑ Coplan, David B. (2001). "A river runs through it: The meaning of the Lesotho‐free state border". African Affairs. 100 (398): 81–116. doi:10.1093/afraf/100.398.81.
External links
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