Nyl River Nylrivier | |
---|---|
Etymology | Meaning "Nile" in the Afrikaans language; the river owes its name to a confusion |
Location | |
Country | South Africa |
State | Limpopo Province |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Waterberg Massif |
• location | Near Bela-Bela (Warmbad) |
• elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | Mogalakwena River |
• coordinates | 24°16′25″S28°58′37″E / 24.27361°S 28.97694°E |
• elevation | 1,060 m (3,480 ft) |
Basin size | 2,425 km2 (936 sq mi) |
[1] |
The Nyl River (Afrikaans : Nylrivier) is a watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It flows at the head of the Mogalakwena River, being its southernmost tributary or uppermost section. [2] It is located near Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in the northern part of the Springbok Flats, a particular geological formation. [3]
The name of the Nyl River originated in the word for "Nile". In the 1860s, a group of pious and enthusiastic Dutch Voortrekkers known as the Jerusalemgangers, saw the large flooded plain with its wide river flowing lazily northwards and were under the impression that they had arrived at the mighty Nylrivier, the Nile river. They settled the place and founded a town in 1866, calling it Nylstroom . [4]
The Nyl river is fed mostly by smaller tributaries flowing from the Waterberg Massif that flow roughly northeastwards into a wide and shallow plain with a very feeble gradient. The main stream is known as Groot Nyl and has its sources to the east of Bela-Bela (Warmbad). Its most important tributaries are the Olifantspruit and the Tobiasspruit. Other tributaries are the Klein Nyl, Middelfonteinspruit, Hessie-se-Water, De Wet Zyn Loop, Bad se Loop, Andriesspruit, Kotjie se Loop and the Dorpspruit. [5]
The Nyl plain becomes seasonally flooded and is full of reeds and other aquatic plants. It is known as Nylsvlei, from the word vlei usually applied to intermittent lakes, for the main course in its midst flows northeastwards very slowly. Further on it bends northwards as the north-leaning gradient of the river tilts to a sharper angle. Finally the Nyl becomes the Mogalakwena River shortly before the Dorps River joins the right bank of the stream. [6]
The Donkerpoort Dam is a dam on the Klein Nyl near Modimolle, former Nylstroom. The reservoir is a popular fishing spot. [7]
The flood-plain of the Nyl, also known as the Nyl pan (Afrikaans : Nylsvlei), is a seasonal wetland, for 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. [8]
It is one of the largest single ecosystems in South Africa providing a haven for aquatic birds. [9] This flood-plain is now the site of the Nylsvley Nature Reserve, [10] a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high discharge. The soils usually consist of clays, silts, sands, and gravels deposited during floods.
Modimolle, also known as Nylstroom, is a town located near the southern edge of the Waterberg Massif in Limpopo province, South Africa. It is a medium-sized town that focuses primarily on agriculture and farming as well as wildlife and tourism. Nylstroom is also located approximately 135 kilometres north of Pretoria, South Africa's capital city.
The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 km2. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological, and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined.
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The Mokolo River is a major watercourse in Limpopo Province of South Africa. This river collects much of the drainage of the Waterberg Massif and discharges it to the Limpopo River. The river's catchment area comprises 8,387 square kilometres (3,238 sq mi).
Alma is a small town situated south of Vaalwater in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The area is surrounded by green-gray bushveld vegetation and a several private game reserves are located in the malaria free area.
Nylsvley Nature Reserve is a 40 km2 (15 sq mi) protected area, located on and beside the seasonally-inundated floodplain of the Nyl River, the uppermost section of the Mogalakwena which has a very shallow gradient. It is located near Mookgophong in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The area has been declared a Ramsar wetland site because of its international conservation importance. The floodplain is made up of extensive reedbeds and grassveld surrounded by open woodland.
The Sand River or Polokwane River is a watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa, a right hand tributary of the Limpopo River. Its new name "Polokwane River" is homonymous with the name of the town of Polokwane, formerly Pietersburg, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) upriver from its mouth. The Sand River flows by the western edge of this town.
The Marico River or Madikwe is a river in Southern Africa. There are a number of dams in its basin. Groot Marico town is named after the Marico River. After it is joined on its right bank by the Crocodile River it is known as the Limpopo River.
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