Orange River
The Orange River, sometimes called isAngqu in isiZulu, is a river in Southern Africa. It is South Africa's longest river. The Orange River Basin stretches 2,432 kilometers (1,511 miles) from Lesotho to South Africa, with Namibia to the north. It begins in Lesotho's Drakensberg highlands and flows west through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. The river runs through various international borders, including those between South Africa and Lesotho and South Africa and Namibia, as well as several provincial borders within South Africa. It does not travel through any significant cities except Upington. The Orange River, which provides water for agricultural and hydroelectric generation, is vital to the South African economy. The river was dubbed the Orange River by Dutch explorer Robert Jacob Gordon in honor of the Dutch reigning dynasty, the House of Orange.
At an elevation of almost 3,000 meters, the Orange rises in the Drakensberg highlands on the boundary between South Africa and Lesotho, some 193 kilometers (120 miles) west of the Indian Ocean. The Senqu is located at the mouth of the Orange River in Lesotho. Because of the high altitude, parts of the Senqu River freeze in the winter. Droughts result downstream, affecting goat and cattle output in particular.
The Orange River then flows westward into South Africa, establishing the province of the Free State's southern border. The river flows first into the Gariep Dam (the country's largest) and then into the Vanderkloof Dam in this portion. The riverbed is steeply incised from Lesotho's border to below the Vanderkloof Dam. The land is flatter further downstream, and the river is heavily used for irrigation.
The Orange River meets its main tributary, the Vaal River, at the westernmost point of the Free State, southwest of Kimberley. The Vaal River forms much of the province's northern border. The river travels westward from here, through the dry wilderness of the southern Kalahari and Namaqualand in the Northern Cape Province, until it reaches Namibia at 20°E longitude. It flows west for 550 kilometers from here, marking the international border between the province and Namibia's Karas Region. The river flows through the town of Vioolsdrif, which serves as the principal border crossing between South Africa and Namibia.
The Orange gets many intermittent streams and several huge wadis in the last 800 kilometers (500 miles) of its journey. Because the Namib Desert ends on the river's north bank in this segment, the volume of water contributed by these tributaries is insignificant under normal conditions. The riverbed has been deeply incised once again here. The Augrabies Falls are found on this portion of the Orange River, where the river drops 122 meters (400 feet) during a 26-kilometer journey (16 mi).
Between the small settlements of Oranjemund (literally "Orange mouth") in Namibia and Alexander Bay in South Africa, about halfway between Walvis Bay and Cape Town, the Orange flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It is totally obstructed by rapids and sandbars 33 kilometers (21 miles) from its mouth, and is generally not navigable for extended lengths.
Length: 2,432 km (1,511 mi- shared with Lesotho and Namibia )
