Blyde River
Encyclopedia
The Blyde River or Motlatse River (i.e. Permanent River), is a river in the Mpumalanga
and Limpopo
provinces of South Africa
. It has a northwards course in steep-sided valleys and ravines of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg
, before it enters the lowveld
region of the Limpopo province. It has its ultimate origins at around 2,000 m altitude in the Hartebeesvlakte conservation area, to the north of Long Tom Pass
. The Hartebeesvlakte, Mt Sheba Nature Reserve, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
and Blyde-Olifants Conservancy
protect different sections of it.
Of the catchment area of 2,842 km²
, 220 km² is devoted to commercial forestry, and around 1,399 km² consists of indigenous forests. Orchards and croplands were established along the lower Blyde in the latter half of the 20th century, with 23,521 ha
devoted to irrigation in 1995.
and others returned safely from Delagoa Bay
to the rest of their party of trekkers who had considered them dead. While still under this misapprehension they had named the nearby river where they had been encamped, Treurrivier, or 'mourning river'. The name Motlatse is claimed to predate the name Blyde, and means 'a river that is always full' in the sePulana dialect of Northern Sotho
.
joins the Blyde at Bourke's Luck Potholes, in the canyon's upper reaches. The Ohrigstad River
joins the Blyde River at the BlydeRivierpoort Dam
in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
of the Blyde River Canyon
area. The Sandspruit is its only significant tributary in the lowveld.
and neighbouring private game reserves, eventually crossing the Mozambique
border, where it flows into the Massingire Dam. The Blyde's average annual contribution to the Olifants is 436 million m3
of water, a significant proportion due to the combination of relatively high precipitation and low evaporation in its catchment area.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
and Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
provinces of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It has a northwards course in steep-sided valleys and ravines of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...
, before it enters the lowveld
Veld
The term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
region of the Limpopo province. It has its ultimate origins at around 2,000 m altitude in the Hartebeesvlakte conservation area, to the north of Long Tom Pass
Long Tom Pass
Long Tom Pass, Is situated in the Mpumalanga province, on the Regional Road R37, road between Lydenburg and Sabie .A monument commemorating the last use of the Boer 155 mm Creusot Long Tom guns during the Second Boer War is located in the pass, about from Sabie....
. The Hartebeesvlakte, Mt Sheba Nature Reserve, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is situated in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The reserve protects the Blyde River Canyon, including sections of the Ohrigstad and Blyde Rivers and the geological formations around Bourke's Luck Potholes, where the Treur...
and Blyde-Olifants Conservancy
Blyde-Olifants Conservancy
Blyde-Olifants Conservancy, The Conservancy consolidates a group of privately owned game farms in the central Lowveld region into an official nature reserve. Lying roughly between Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa...
protect different sections of it.
Of the catchment area of 2,842 km²
Square kilometre
Square kilometer, symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units.1 km2 is equal to:* 1,000,000 m2* 100 ha * 0.386302 square miles* 247.105381 acresConversely:...
, 220 km² is devoted to commercial forestry, and around 1,399 km² consists of indigenous forests. Orchards and croplands were established along the lower Blyde in the latter half of the 20th century, with 23,521 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
devoted to irrigation in 1995.
Etymology
Blyde means "glad" or "happy" in Dutch, and was thus named during a voortrekker expedition. The 'happy river' was so called in 1844, when Hendrik PotgieterAndries Hendrik Potgieter
Andries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter was a Voortrekker leader. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 and also as the first head of state of Zoutpansberg from 1845 to 1852.Potgieter was born in the Tarkastad district of the Cape Colony, the second...
and others returned safely from Delagoa Bay
Maputo Bay
Maputo Bay , formerly Delagoa Bay, Baía da Lagoa is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique, between 25° 40' and 26° 20' S, with a length from north to south of over 90 km long and 32 km wide....
to the rest of their party of trekkers who had considered them dead. While still under this misapprehension they had named the nearby river where they had been encamped, Treurrivier, or 'mourning river'. The name Motlatse is claimed to predate the name Blyde, and means 'a river that is always full' in the sePulana dialect of Northern Sotho
Northern Sotho language
Northern Sotho , also inaccurately known by the name of a major dialect, Pedi or sePedi, is one of the official languages of South Africa, and is spoken by 4,208,980 people — in the South African provinces of Gauteng,...
.
Tributaries
The Treur RiverTreur River
The Treur River is a small river in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It is nowhere far from the R532 motor route, which intersects it twice. Its ultimate origin is inside the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, though most of its course is to the west...
joins the Blyde at Bourke's Luck Potholes, in the canyon's upper reaches. The Ohrigstad River
Ohrigstad River
Ohrigstad River is located in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Ohrigstad River joins the Blyde River at the BlydeRivierpoort Dam in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve...
joins the Blyde River at the BlydeRivierpoort Dam
BlydeRivierpoort Dam
BlydeRivierpoort Dam is dam on the Blyde River, near Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was established in 1974.- References :* from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry...
in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is situated in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The reserve protects the Blyde River Canyon, including sections of the Ohrigstad and Blyde Rivers and the geological formations around Bourke's Luck Potholes, where the Treur...
of the Blyde River Canyon
Blyde River Canyon
The Blyde River Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa, located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. It is in length and is, on average, around deep. The Dam itself, when full, is at an altitude of 665m . The Canyon consists mostly of red...
area. The Sandspruit is its only significant tributary in the lowveld.
Downstream
The Klein Olifants, Steelpoort and Blyde Rivers are southern tributaries of the Olifants River, which enters the Kruger National ParkKruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
and neighbouring private game reserves, eventually crossing the Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
border, where it flows into the Massingire Dam. The Blyde's average annual contribution to the Olifants is 436 million m3
Cubic metre
The cubic metre is the SI derived unit of volume. It is the volume of a cube with edges one metre in length. An alternative name, which allowed a different usage with metric prefixes, was the stère...
of water, a significant proportion due to the combination of relatively high precipitation and low evaporation in its catchment area.
See also
- List of rivers of South Africa
- List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
- Treur River BarbTreur River BarbThe Treur River Barb or simply Treur Barb is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found only in South Africa.-Source:* Skelton, P. 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....