The Bahr el Zeraf is an arm

Anabranch

An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream. Local anabranches can be the result of small islands in the watercourse...

 of the White Nile

White Nile

The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...

 in the Sudd

Sudd

The Sudd , also known as the Bahr al Jabal, As Sudd or Al Sudd, is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile. The word “sudd” is derived from the Arabic word “sadd”, meaning “block.” The term has come to refer to any large solid floating vegetation island or mat...

 region of South Sudan

South Sudan

South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...

, Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. It is completely contained within the South Sudanese state of Jonglei

Jonglei

Jonglei is one of the 10 states of South Sudan. Jonglei is the largest state in the Republic of South Sudan, with approximately 122,479 km2, as well as the most populous according to the controversial 2008 census conducted during present-day South Sudan's second period of autonomy. Bor is the...

. Its name is Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 for "Giraffe Sea".

Course

The Bahr el Zeraf forms in the southern Sudd wetlands as an arm of the Bahr al Jabal

Bahr al Jabal

Bahr al Jabal may refer to:* Bahr al Jabal, a section of the White Nile between Nimule and Lake No* Bahr al Jabal, a state of Southern Sudan renamed Central Equatoria in 2005...

 ("Mountain Nile") section of the White Nile. It flows north through the Zefah Game Reserve for 240 kilometres (149.1 mi) before rejoining the White Nile 56 kilometres (34.8 mi) upriver from Malakal

Malakal

-Location:The city of Malakal is located in Malakal County, Upper Nile State, in the northeast of South Sudan, close to the International borders with the Republic of Sudan and with Ethiopia...

.

External links

• Bahr el Zeraf (river), Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
• Baḩr az Zarāf, GEOnet Names Server
  GEOnet Names Server
  The GEOnet Names Server provides access to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names' database of geographic feature names and locations for locations outside the United States. The database is the official repository of foreign place-name decisions...