Vioolsdrif
Encyclopedia
Vioolsdrif is a village on the Orange River
in the north-western part of South Africa
, known as Namaqualand
.
links South Africa
with Namibia
and the town is the South African border post. At the other end of the bridge
is the small Namibian village of Noordoewer
(meaning "north bank" in Afrikaans). The area is profoundly arid
and the crossing is overlooked by steep and spectacular sandstone
cliffs hundreds of metre
s in height.
In general, the surrounding region is almost unpopulated. There are small pockets of fertile
alluvial soil
along the course of the river
and these are used for growing crops
, such as date
s and melon
s, under irrigation
.
Many tour operators have set up their base camps for rafting tours on the Orange River.
s. The short winter season lasts from about May to July. Almost no rain
falls and the weather is hot. The summer season lasts from August to April. It is very hot and there is no rain whatsoever. Vioolsdrif is officially one of the hottest places in South Africa. The mean annual temperature is 76°F (24°C) and temperatures above 86°F (30°C) is measured on an average of 220 days (60%) of the year. Day time maximum temperatures above 110°F (43°C) and night time minimums of 80°F (27°C) are a regular feature in summer.
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...
in the north-western part 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...
, known as Namaqualand
Namaqualand
Namaqualand is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of 170,000 square miles/440,000 km². It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two portions - Little Namaqualand to the south and Great Namaqualand to the...
.
Origin of name
The name in Afrikaans means 'the ford (shallow river crossing) of the violin'. It is reportedly named after Jan Viool ("John Violin"), who is said to have played the fiddle in these parts in the nineteenth century. Some say he was a Nama man, who used to guide ox-wagons across the ford. An accomplished player, he would fiddle away merrily on the river bank while waiting for wagons to arrive. These claims await elaboration.Geography
A road bridge here on the N7 national roadNational Roads in South Africa
In South Africa, national routes constitute a numbered network of roads starting with an "N" prefix . They usually connect major centres. Although the terms National Road and National Route are often used interchangably in everyday conversation, the two are not synonymous, and some Regional Routes ...
links 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...
with Namibia
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...
and the town is the South African border post. At the other end of the bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
is the small Namibian village of Noordoewer
Noordoewer
Noordoewer is a town in southern Namibia. Its name means 'North Bank' in Afrikaans, in reference to the north bank of the Orange River, on which it is located...
(meaning "north bank" in Afrikaans). The area is profoundly arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
and the crossing is overlooked by steep and spectacular sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
cliffs hundreds of metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s in height.
In general, the surrounding region is almost unpopulated. There are small pockets of fertile
Fertile
The term fertile describes a condition whereby organisms are able to produce physically healthy offspring.Fertile may also refer to:...
alluvial soil
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
along the course of the river
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...
and these are used for growing crops
Crop (agriculture)
A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
, such as date
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
s and melon
Melon
thumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...
s, under irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
Tourism
Vioolsdrif has several campsites and motels for motorists passing through the border. http://www.places.co.za/html/9558.htmlMany tour operators have set up their base camps for rafting tours on the Orange River.
Climate
There are two seasonSeason
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
s. The short winter season lasts from about May to July. Almost no rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
falls and the weather is hot. The summer season lasts from August to April. It is very hot and there is no rain whatsoever. Vioolsdrif is officially one of the hottest places in South Africa. The mean annual temperature is 76°F (24°C) and temperatures above 86°F (30°C) is measured on an average of 220 days (60%) of the year. Day time maximum temperatures above 110°F (43°C) and night time minimums of 80°F (27°C) are a regular feature in summer.