Sundays River
Encyclopedia
The Sundays River is a river
in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
and is said to be the fastest flowing river in South Africa. The Khoisan
people originally named this river Nukakamma (Grassy Water) because the river's banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs through.
) near Nieu-Bethesda. The river then flows in a general southsoutheasterly direction, passing the town Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo
before winding its way through the Zuurberg Mountains and then past Kirkwood
and Addo in the fertile Sundays River Valley
. It empties into the Indian Ocean
at Algoa Bay
after running through the village of Colchester, 40 km east of the city of Port Elizabeth.
and tunnel
system which supplies water from the Orange River
to the Great Fish River Valley and subsequently to the Sundays River Valley
in order to supplement the existing water supply of the Eastern Cape. Since 1992 the water from the Sundays River Valley has been supplied to Port Elizabeth.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Eastern Cape Province of 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 is said to be the fastest flowing river in South Africa. The Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
people originally named this river Nukakamma (Grassy Water) because the river's banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs through.
Location
The source of the 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) long Sundays River is in the Compassberg Mountains (the highest mountains in the former Cape ProvinceCape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
) near Nieu-Bethesda. The river then flows in a general southsoutheasterly direction, passing the town Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
before winding its way through the Zuurberg Mountains and then past Kirkwood
Kirkwood, Eastern Cape
Kirkwood is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is situated on the banks of the Sundays River in the eponymously-named Sundays River Valley, which forms part of the Sundays River Valley Municipality in the Cacadu District of the Eastern Cape....
and Addo in the fertile Sundays River Valley
Sundays River Valley
The Sundays River Valley is a low-lying area along the Sundays River. It forms part of the Sunday's River Valley Local Municipality in Cacadu District Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa....
. It empties into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
at Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay is a wide inlet along the South African east coast, some 425 miles east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m deep...
after running through the village of Colchester, 40 km east of the city of Port Elizabeth.
Fish-Sundays River Canal Scheme
The Fish River-Sundays River Canal Scheme consists of a canalCanal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
and tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
system which supplies water from 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...
to the Great Fish River Valley and subsequently to the Sundays River Valley
Sundays River Valley
The Sundays River Valley is a low-lying area along the Sundays River. It forms part of the Sunday's River Valley Local Municipality in Cacadu District Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa....
in order to supplement the existing water supply of the Eastern Cape. Since 1992 the water from the Sundays River Valley has been supplied to Port Elizabeth.