Ruvuma

The Ruvuma River, which runs from southeastern Tanzania into the Indian Ocean, is 497 kilometers long. The river forms part of the boundary between Tanzania and Mozambique. The Lucheringo, Lugenda, Muhuwesi, and Lumesule rivers are among their major tributaries. It runs north along an arid plateau, passing through multiple falls. The Unity Bridge, which spans the river, is built in Mozambique on one end and Tanzania on the other. Its construction began in 1975, but it was halted because of a lack of money. The bridge was finished in 2010. The Ruvuma and Southern Coast Basin Water Board manages the Ruvuma River.

The Ruvuma runs eastward along the foot of an escarpment of a dry sandstone plateau to the north, from which direction the streams that have cut deep channels in the plateau edge have practically all short courses. The opposite bank of the Ruvuma receives, in addition to the Lujenda, the Msinje River and the Luchulingo River, which flow in large valleys from south to north. The Lujenda rises near Lake Chilwa, in the little Lake Chiuta (1,700 ft), with the wetlands to the south divided from Chilwa by a thinly forested hill. The stream that originates in Chiuta flows through a marshy valley into the tiny Lake Amaramba, from which the Lujenda River eventually emerges as a torrent 80 kilometers long.

Lower down, the width varies widely, with several portions including lengthy forested islands that rise above the flood level and are frequently populated. During the dry season, the river may be crossed in several places. It is roughly a mile broad at its mouth. The lower Ruvuma, which is typically a half-mile broad but often shallow, flows through a marshy valley bordered by plateau escarpments that include many tiny river backwaters. The mouth is located around 10° 28' S., 40° 30' E., with the parallel of 10° 40' forming the border along the shore. The Ruvuma is approximately 500 km long (800 km).

Total Length: 497 miles