Tugela River

The Tugela River is the largest river in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province. It is one of the country's most important rivers, with a total length of 531 km (330 mi).

The river flows from Mont-aux-Sources in the Drakensberg Mountains at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet and drops 947 meters to the Tugela Falls. The Mont-aux-Sources also serves as the headwaters for two other major South African rivers, the Orange and the Vaal. The Tugela flows 531 kilometers (330 miles) from the Drakensberg range through the KwaZulu-Natal midlands before entering the Indian Ocean. The total catchment area is about 29,100 km2 (11,200 sq mi). The catchment's land uses are primarily rural subsistence farming and commercial forestry.

The Tugela River System is home to the scaly yellowfish (Labeobarbus natalensis). It is a common endemic fish in KwaZulu-Natal Province, where it can be found in a variety of habitats ranging from the Drakensberg foothills to the coastal lowlands, including rivers like the Umkomazi.

Length: 531 km (330 mi)