Mtamvuna River
Umtamvuna
View of the Mtamvuna River Gorge from Clearwater Trail Centre, near Port Edward
Mtamvuna River is located in South Africa
Mtamvuna River
Location of the Mtamvuna River mouth
EtymologyMtamvuna meaning "the reaper of mouthfuls" in the Xhosa language.[1]
Location
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal / Eastern Cape Province
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationNear Weza Forest Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
 • elevation1,820 m (5,970 ft)
MouthIndian Ocean
 • location
5km S of Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
 • coordinates
31°4′49″S 30°11′42″E / 31.08028°S 30.19500°E / -31.08028; 30.19500
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length162 km (101 mi)
Basin size1,553 km2 (600 sq mi)

Mtamvuna River is a river that forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa. The river has a wide mouth and flows into the Indian Ocean just south of Port Edward. The Mtamvuna river is approximately 162 km long with a catchment area of 1,553 km². The name means "the reaper of mouthfuls" because of the damage the river does to crops during floods.[2]: 329 

History

Historically the Mtamvuna River is the northern limit of the Pondoland region.[3]

In 1552 a Portuguese ship ran aground at the mouth of the Mtamvuna River and a group of local people got close to the sailors wishing to trade with them.[4]

Ecology

The Umtamvuna Nature Reserve is a protected area located close to the deep Mtamvuna River Gorge.[5] Presently this river is part of the Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Meanings of place names in South Africa
  2. ↑ Illustrated guide to Southern Africa. Internet Archive. Cape Town : Published by Reader's Digest Association South Africa in association with T.V. Bulpin. 1980. ISBN 978-0-620-04650-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ↑ Contributions to the ecology of Maputaland, Southern Africa
  4. ↑ History of South Africa
  5. ↑ Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, KwaZulu Natal
  6. ↑ Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA 11
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