Caledon River
Encyclopedia
The Caledon River is located in south-east Africa, rising in the Drakensberg
Mountains in Lesotho
. Origin in the former bantustan of QwaQwa
, near the border with Lesotho
, southwest of Witsieshoek. It then flows south-west, marking the border with South Africa
and Lesotho
before entering South Africa's Free State
province (north of Wepener
). It then flows West before meeting the Orange River
near Bethulie
in southern Free State, just before the Gariep Dam
.
The river is the primary source of water for Maseru
, the capital of Lesotho, which stands on the river. During periods of low rainfall water shortages can ensue. To combat this, reservoirs have been created with structures such as the Muela Dam. In 2003 water was released from here to avert drought
. http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2003/03102210461001.htm
The Caledon valley is important in the history of the Basotho
people. The area was exceptionally fertile and could be farmed without irrigation. This made it desirable and was one of the causes of the conflict between the Basotho and the Boers
. (See History of Lesotho
and Basutoland
.)
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...
Mountains in Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
. Origin in the former bantustan of QwaQwa
QwaQwa
QwaQwa was a Bantustan, or homeland, in the eastern part of South Africa. It encompassed a very small region of in the east of the former South African province of Orange Free State, bordering Lesotho. Its capital was Phuthaditjhaba...
, near the border with Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, southwest of Witsieshoek. It then flows south-west, marking the border with 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...
and Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
before entering South Africa's Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
province (north of Wepener
Wepener
Wepener is a village in the Free State, South Africa, located on the border with Lesotho. The town is named after Louw Wepener, the leader of the Boers in their war with the Basotho chief Moshoeshoe I in 1865. It was founded in 1867 on the banks of Jammersbergspruit, a tributary of the Caledon...
). It then flows West before meeting the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
near Bethulie
Bethulie
Bethulie is a small sheep and cattle farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. The name meaning chosen by God was given by directors of a mission station in 1829 which the town formed around. The mission building is the oldest settler built building still standing in the Free State...
in southern Free State, just before the Gariep Dam
Gariep Dam
Gariep Dam is a dam in South Africa, near the town of Norvalspont, Free State, province South Africa.-Overview:The Gariep Dam was originally called the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam after the first Prime Minister of the Republic of South Africa Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd on its commission in 1971...
.
The river is the primary source of water for Maseru
Maseru
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 . The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the...
, the capital of Lesotho, which stands on the river. During periods of low rainfall water shortages can ensue. To combat this, reservoirs have been created with structures such as the Muela Dam. In 2003 water was released from here to avert drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2003/03102210461001.htm
The Caledon valley is important in the history of the Basotho
Basotho
The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...
people. The area was exceptionally fertile and could be farmed without irrigation. This made it desirable and was one of the causes of the conflict between the Basotho and the Boers
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
. (See History of Lesotho
History of Lesotho
The area now known as Lesotho goes back as many as 40,000 years. The present Lesotho emerged as a single polity under paramount chief Moshoeshoe I in 1822...
and Basutoland
Basutoland
Basutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British Crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory...
.)
Dams in South Africa
- Knellpoort DamKnellpoort DamKnellpoort Dam is a dam on the Riet Spruit, near Wepener, Free State, South Africa. It was established in 1988.Due to siltation, the storage capacity of the Welbedacht Dam reduced rapidly from the original 115 million m3 to approximately 16 million m3 during the twenty years since completion...
, on a tributary called Rietspruit - Welbedacht DamWelbedacht DamWelbedacht Dam is situated in South Africa, and was established in 1973.Bloemfontein is the sixth largest city in South Africa with a population of approximately 300 000. It is situated in the Modder River catchment which has insufficient water resources to meet the growing water requirements...
, a major water source for BloemfonteinBloemfonteinBloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
and surroundings, situated inside the Caledon Nature ReserveCaledon Nature ReserveCaledon Nature Reserve is situated on the Caledon River in the Free State, South Africa, and is about 2300 ha in size. The park is close to the Lesotho border. Wepener is its closest town.-Wildlife:...