Limpopo River

The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is the modified version of the original Sepedi name diphororo tša meetse, meaning ″gushing strong waterfalls". The river is approximately 1,750 kilometres (1,087 mi) long, with a drainage basin 415,000 square kilometres (160,200 sq mi) in size. The mean discharge measured over a year is 170 m³/s (6,200 cu ft/s) at its mouth. The Limpopo is the second largest river in Africa that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River.

The first European to sight the river was Vasco da Gama, who anchored off its mouth in 1498 and named it Espiritu Santo River. Its lower course was explored by St. Vincent Whitshed Erskine in 1868–69, and Captain J.F. Elton traveled down its middle course in 1870.

Course

The Limpopo River flows in a great arc, first zigzagging north and then northeast, then turning east and finally southeast. It serves as a border for about 640 kilometres (398 mi), separating South Africa to the southeast from Botswana to the northwest and Zimbabwe to the north. Two of its tributaries, the Marico River and the Crocodile River join, at which point the name changes to Limpopo River. There are several rapids as the river falls off Southern Africa's inland escarpment.

Limpopo

Limpopo /lɪmˈpɔpɔ/ is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River that flows on the western and northern borders of the province, the name "Limpopo" has its etymological origin from the Sepedi word diphororo tša meetse - meaning strong gushing waterfalls. (The Sepedi language or Northern Sotho language is spoken by a third of the people in the province.) 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. The following year, it was renamed Northern Province, which remained the name until 2003, when the name of the province was formally changed to the name of its most important river–on the border with Zimbabwe and Botswana–after deliberation by the provincial government and amendment of the Constitution. A notable consideration for the name was Mapungubwe, the area where the most ancient gold-using civilisation of the province was discovered a few years earlier.

Limpopo (disambiguation)

Limpopo may refer to the following places and landforms:

1490 Limpopo

1490 Limpopo, provisional designation 1936 LB, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 19 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by English-born South Africa astronomer Cyril Jackson at Union Observatory, Johannesburg, on 14 June 1936.

The X-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3.61 years (1,318 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.16 and is tilted by 10 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a rotation period of 6.2 to 6.6 hours. According to the surveys carried out by IRAS, Akari, WISE and NEOWISE, it has an albedo of 0.07–0.10.

The minor planet was named after the Limpopo River, which rises in central southern Africa, and flows through Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe into the Indian Ocean.

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