South Africa is poor in any water bodies, including rivers. Those water arteries that exist in this territory are small, and for most of the whole year they rather look like channels that have long been waterless. However, there are quite long and wide rivers here. The largest of them are the famous Chukovsky Limpopo, the Orange River (which is not at all close in color to an orange) and the Vaal.
Lost in translation
The name of this waterway was given by the Scot Gordon, who was part of the Dutch expedition. However, he did not mean the color of its waters at all. The Orange River was named to commemorate the ruling dynasty of Holland in those years - Orange. However, both the English spelling of the dynastic surname (Orange) and the Dutch spelling (Oranj) also denote an orange. The translator, translating the name of the river into Russian, did not delve into the motivating arguments of the Scot, so the river became Orange. The mistake has long been cleared up, but the Russian-speaking people are used to the name of the African river:there were riddles, poems and even a cartoon mentioning the name of this river. So they did not change the official name.
River geography
The Orange River in Africa is the longest water artery (as much as 1865 km). For some of its distance, the river is the border between Namibia and other countries. The source of the Orange River is located in the Dragon Mountains, located in the border zones of Lesotho and South Africa. Moreover, the first springs of this river are located on the slopes of Mont-au-Source, 3160 m above sea level. At the same time, near the mountains it is called differently - Sinku. Only having replenished with the waters of tributaries, the Orange River receives the right to the usual name. After all, it is after this that it becomes quite full-flowing. By the way, most of the so-called tributaries can be ignored when calculating the filling of the Orange River, since they are seasonal, shallow and very dependent on the amount of precipitation. Only Vaal and Caledon make a significant contribution to the full flow - they themselves (by African standards) are not so small rivers.
The finish line is the Atlantic Ocean, where the Orange River flows. An interesting fact may be that the place where the river meets the Atlantic is the Namib Desert, which means "Skeleton Coast" in translation.
Most of the "body" of the river is located on the territory of Namibia, South Africa and neighbor Lesotho. At a distance of tens of kilometers, after replenishing the waters with tributaries, the Orange River pleases the eye with its latitude and full flow. However, when it reaches dry places, it becomes noticeably shallower. In the dry season it is not difficult to crosswade, while the woman will not even wet her skirt (unless she is wearing a ball gown).
In principle, the Orange River can also be classified as seasonal: its fullness is very dependent on precipitation. And the path that runs in close proximity to the Kalahari greatly contributes to the strong evaporation of water. That is why the Orange River in Africa is not navigable.
Neighboring rivers
From the north side of the Orange River, the Nosob, Kuruman, Mololo and some other rivers, less noticeable than the same Limpopo, Vaal or Orange, carry their waters through deserts and simply arid regions. However, first of all, these are drying channels that become rivers only during the rains, which is why geographers call them seasonal. It is not surprising - the path of these water arteries passes through one of the most terrible deserts - the Kalahari, where there is nowhere to take recharge for reservoirs. Nevertheless, during the rainy time, they manage to save everything that can survive in the desert.
Majestic Waterfall
World famous African Victoria Falls, which is considered the largest, most beautiful and water on this continent. However, this is one of the most grandiose geographical misconceptions. The Orange River boasts a much grander spectacle that belongs to the national park.
Augrabis Waterfall was so named by a Finn named Vikar. The name was somehow liked by the locals - the Boers - and subsequently became international. Augrabis is a taller waterfall than the Victoria Falls and more watery. The highest point from where the water overthrowsgorge, rises to 146 meters, and the failure itself reaches a depth of almost 200 meters.
The little-known waterfall is easy to explain: around Orange and Augrabis stretches the frightening Kalahari, almost always impassable even for well-equipped expeditions. Even during the hot period, when the Orange River turns almost into a stream, getting close to the cliff to admire the waterfall is deadly because of the unstable and slippery stones. And during the flood, the entire floodplain of the river becomes inaccessible due to the stormy floods of the waters; even conditional roads turn into muddy mud streams. So the rave reviews come mostly from those who have seen Augrabis from a helicopter.
Feeding the river
The Orange River feeds mainly on rains, and therefore its "mode of life" is flood. Spills are observed from November to the end of March, and they reach a maximum between mid-February and March. Local states are trying with the help of the Orange and its tributary Vaal to revive the controlled lands. Since the year 66 of the last century, a project has been implemented to create an irrigation system, which should cover more than 30,000 hectares of land. Completion was planned for the end of the 20th century, but so far the final construction is not in sight.
Although Africa is considered the most waterless territory on Earth, there is a place for beauty, rivers, and waterfalls.
