Kuiseb River
Encyclopedia
The Kuiseb River in Namibia
flows from the Khomas
highlands west of Windhoek
to Walvis Bay
. The Kuiseb is an ephemeral
river with a mean run-off of roughly 20 million cubic metres per annum.
It is bordered on one side by the tallest sand dunes in the world, and on the other by barren rock. The red sand dunes south of the river reach heights over 150 meters. The prevailing winds blow the dunes northward, but their movement is blocked by the river. In the process, so much sand and silt is deposited in the Kuiseb that it only reaches the sea while it is in flood. Friedenau Dam
, built in 1972, is located on the river.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
flows from the Khomas
Khomas Region
Khomas is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. It contains the capital city Windhoek and provides for this reason superior transportation infrastructure. It has well-developed economical, financial, and trade sectors. Khomas Region occupies 4.5% of the land area of Namibia but has the highest...
highlands west of Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
to Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
. The Kuiseb is an ephemeral
Ephemeral
Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. Typically the term is used to describe objects found in nature, although it can describe a wide range of things....
river with a mean run-off of roughly 20 million cubic metres per annum.
It is bordered on one side by the tallest sand dunes in the world, and on the other by barren rock. The red sand dunes south of the river reach heights over 150 meters. The prevailing winds blow the dunes northward, but their movement is blocked by the river. In the process, so much sand and silt is deposited in the Kuiseb that it only reaches the sea while it is in flood. Friedenau Dam
Friedenau Dam
Friedenau Dam is a dam in Khomas Region, Namibia. Located 38km southwest of Windhoek, it dams the Kuiseb River and provides water to nearby Matchless Mine. It has a capacity of 6.723 Mm3 and was completed in 1972, when the country was occupied by South Africa....
, built in 1972, is located on the river.