The Crocodile River, also referred to as Crocodile River (East), () is a large river traversing
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...
province of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It is a tributary of the
Komati River
The Komati River, also known as the Inkomati River or Incomati River (in Mozambique, from Portuguese Rio Incomati), is a river in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Originating in north-western Eswatini, it is joined by the Crocodile Riv ...
.
Course
It originates north of
Dullstroom,
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...
, in the
Steenkampsberg Mountains. Downstream of
Kwena Dam, the Crocodile River winds through the Schoemanskloof and down the
Montrose Falls. It then flows eastwards past
Nelspruit and joins the
Komati River
The Komati River, also known as the Inkomati River or Incomati River (in Mozambique, from Portuguese Rio Incomati), is a river in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Originating in north-western Eswatini, it is joined by the Crocodile Riv ...
at
Komatipoort.
The Crocodile River in Mpumalanga has a catchment area of 10,446 km
2. Upstream it is a popular
trout fishing place. It flows through the
Nelspruit industrial area, the
Lowveld agricultural area and borders the
Kruger National Park. The decrease in the flow of the river is due to water abstractions for irrigated fruit and sugar cane farming.
Tributaries
The
Elands River and Nels River are the tributaries to the Crocodile. Elands River, famous for its waterfalls, rises on the grassland plateau of the
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Zulu language, Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho language, Sotho: Maloti, Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, Southern Africa, Great Escarpment, which encloses the central South Africa#Geography, Sout ...
mountains near the town of
Machadodorp while the Nels River rises on the Drakensberg as well .
See also
*
List of rivers of South Africa
*
List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Mpumalanga