Jump to content

Umgeni River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Park3r (talk | contribs) at 23:27, 14 August 2018 (reduce translations). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Geobox

The Umgeni River just below Howick Falls in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, photographed during the dry season

The Umgeni River or Mgeni River (Zulu: uMngeni), is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean place of the Acacia trees in Zulu, though other meanings have been proposed.[1][2]

The river is approximately 232 kilometres (144 mi) long with a catchment area of 4,432 square kilometres (1,711 sq mi). The Howick Falls are some famous waterfalls on the Mngeni.

Tributaries

A noteworthy tributary is the Msunduzi River, which joins it between Nagle and Inanda dams. Higher up its course the Msunduzi (or 'Dusi' for short) passes through the KwaZulu-Natal capital Pietermaritzburg. A famous downriver race, the Dusi Canoe Marathon takes place between the capital and Durban, attracting thousands of canoeists for the three-day event held in January every year.

A smaller tributary close to its mouth is the 26-kilometre-long (16 mi) Palmiet River, which should not be confused with the Palmiet River in the Western Cape.[3]

Dams

Presently the Umgeni is part of the Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area.[4] There are four large dams in its catchment basin:

Ecology

The Scaly Yellowfish (Labeobarbus natalensis) is a fish found in the Umgeni River System as well as in the Umzimkulu, Tukhela, Umkomazi and the Umfolozi. It is a common endemic species in KwaZulu-Natal Province and it lives in different habitats between the Drakensberg foothills and the coastal lowlands.[5]

History

It is assumed that Vasco da Gama replenished his fleet's water supply at the Umgeni mouth on Christmas Day, 1497, and so named the region Natal, Portuguese for Christmas. The river then acquired the name "River of Natal".

130 years later the Umgeni was crossed by Nathaniel Isaacs on his way to visit Shaka.[1]

The Umgeni River estuary (Blue Lagoon) and lower reaches flanked by Umgeni Business Park, Umgeni Park, Morningside, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Umgeni River Bird Park and Burman Bush

See also

References

  1. ^ a b du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. pp. 277, 278. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.
  2. ^ Raper, P.E. (2004). South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town. p. 245. ISBN 1-86842-190-2.
  3. ^ Palmiet Nature Reserve Flooding
  4. ^ Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA 11
  5. ^ Technical Report on the State of Yellowfishes in South Africa 2007
  • Peters, Janice (1973). Proceedings of the first International Conference on Ephomeroptera. Brill Archive. p. 90. ISBN 978-90-04-03590-4.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Umgeni_River&oldid=854959846"