Umgeni River
| Umgeni river | |
| uMngeni (Zulu) | |
| River | |
 The Umgeni River's Blue Lagoon at Durban North | |
| 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 | ZA 29°48′36″S 31°02′08″E / 29.81000°S 31.03556°ECoordinates: ZA 29°48′36″S 31°02′08″E / 29.81000°S 31.03556°E |
  Location of the Umgeni River mouth
| |
The Umgeni River or Mgeni River (Zulu: Mngeni; Afrikaans: Umgenirivier), 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 km long with a catchment area of 4,432 km². 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 km long 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 4 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]
See also
References
- 1 2 du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. pp. 277, 278. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.
- ↑ Raper, P.E. (2004). South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town. p. 245. ISBN 1-86842-190-2.
- ↑ Palmiet Nature Reserve Flooding
- ↑ Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA 11
- ↑ 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.
External links
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