Vaal River

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Categories: South Africa geography stubs | Rivers of South Africa

Vaal
Image:VaalFromN3.jpg The Vaal River where it is crossed by the N3 national freeway. At this point it forms the border between the Gauteng and Free State Provinces.
Country	South Africa
Regions	Free State, Gauteng
Landmarks	Vredefort crater, Vaal Dam
Length	1,120 km (696 mi)
Watershed	196,438 km² (75,845 sq mi)
Discharge at	Orange River
- average	125 m³/s (4,414 cu ft/s)

The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Clarens in the Free State at a source known as the Ash River. It then flows southwest to its conjunction with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. It is 1120km in length, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south.

1 Importance to industry and agriculture
2 History
3 See also
4 References

Importance to industry and agriculture

Image:VaalSunrise.jpg

Sunrise over the Vaal River near Parys

Water is drawn from the Vaal to meet the industrial needs of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area and a large part of the Free State Province. As a part of the Vaal-Hartz Scheme it is a major source of water for irrigation. Water drawn from the Vaal supports 12 Million consumers in Gauteng.

History

Image:Gong Gong Vaal river SA.jpg

Gong Gong on the Vaal river: one of the first locations where alluvial diamonds were found.

The name Vaal comes from Dutch (later Afrikaans), and means "drab" or "dull", which alludes to the greyish colours of its waters, especially noticed during flood season when much silt is carried. Historically, the river formed the boundary between two Boer republics, and later provinces, Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The geographic name Transvaal comes from the name of this river, meaning "Beyond the Vaal river". This was in respect to the Cape Colony and Natal, which were the main areas of European settlement at the time, and lay south of the Vaal.

Image:Vaalriverdiamonds.jpg

Prospectors on the Vaal River