| OLIFANTS RIVER: Overview |
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eWISA Home | OLIFANTS: MAIN INDEX | ALPHABETICAL LIST OF RIVERS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Map of the Olifants River |
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The Olifants River was originally named Rio Do Infante in 1488, Tharakkama by the Hottentot community and finally The Olifants River, since 1660 when Jan Danckaert sighted a herd of elephants on the river’s bank. (Ref.1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Olifants River valley was the only passage to the Karoo before the passages through Bain’s Kloof and Du Toit’s Kloof were established.(Ref.1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Olifants Estuary (31º 42’ S; 18º 12’ E) is situated about 250 km northwest of Cape Town. The nearest towns are Lutzville and Vredendal, with the seaside resort of Strandfontein only 8 km south of the estuary. (Ref.1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The largest river at the West Coast draining the lower western escarpment - the Bokkeveld and Cedar Mountains. The catchment area is approximately 46 625 km2. (Ref.1) The origin is in the Kouebokkeveld Mountains, south of Citrusdal. (Picture left). Before entering the coastal plain, at Klawer/Vredendal, the Olifants River flows through the Olifants River Valley. |
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The most important tributary is the Doring River (semi-permanent), which joins the Olifants River about 20 km downstream of the Bulshoek Dam. The Doring River drains from the Cedarberg, the Swartruggens and the Western Roggeveldberge.(Ref.1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The spectacular mountains along the Olifants River Valley, the Cedar, Matsikamma, Olifants River and Bokkeveld mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt, which mainly consists of Table Mountain sandstone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| References | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ref.1.
Morant, P.D. (1984) Estuaries of the Cape.
Part ii Synopses of available information on individual systems.
Report No. 26 Olifants (CW 10).
CSIR Research Report 425. 54pp. |
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| Useful links | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (Dam information and levels) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Clanwilliam Dam Website | ||||||||||||||||||||||
