Tugela River
River in South Africa / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Tugela River?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Tugela River (Zulu: Thukela; Afrikaans: Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of 531 km (330 mi), it is one of the most important rivers of the country.[1]
Tugela Thukela | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
Towns | Bergville, Colenso |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Drakensberg |
• coordinates | 28°45′00″S 28°53′45″E |
Mouth | Indian Ocean |
• coordinates | 29°13′26″S 31°30′0″E |
Length | 531 km (330 mi) |
Basin size | 29,100 km2 (11,200 sq mi) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | |
• right |
The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Drakensberg Mountains at an elevation of almost 11,000 feet[2] and plunges 947 metres down the Tugela Falls. The Mont-aux-Sources is also the origin of tributaries of two other major South African rivers, the Orange and the Caledon River. From the Drakensberg range, the Tugela follows a 531 km (330 mi) route through the KwaZulu-Natal midlands before flowing into the Indian Ocean.[3] The total catchment area is approximately 29,100 km2 (11,200 sq mi).[3] Land uses in the catchment are mainly rural subsistence farming and commercial forestry.