| Umgeni river | |
| uMngeni (Zulu) | |
| River | |
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The Umgeni River, just below Howick Falls, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, taken during the dry season.
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| Country | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Region | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Msunduzi River |
| Source | Drakensberg |
| - elevation | 1,825 m (5,988 ft) |
| Mouth | Indian Ocean |
| - location | Durban, South Africa |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
The Umgeni River, occasionally the Mgeni River (Zulu: Mngeni), 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 meant to mean place of the Acacia trees in Zulu, though other meanings have been proposed.[1][2]
The river is approximately 232 km long with a catchment area of 4,432 km². There are 4 large dams on the Umgeni, they are the Midmar Dam, Albert Falls Dam, Nagle Dam and Inanda Dam.
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]
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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.