Letaba River (Leţaba or Lehlaba) | |
River | |
View of the Letaba River
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Name origin: Meaning "sandy river" in Northern Sotho language | |
Country | South Africa |
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Region | Limpopo Province |
Tributaries | |
- left | Nharhweni River, Ngwenyeni River, Klein Letaba River, Molototsi River, Nsama River |
- right | Groot Letaba River, Nwanedzi River, Makhadzi River |
Secondary source | |
- location | Soutpansberg |
Source confluence | |
- coordinates | 23°38′55″S 31°8′42″E / 23.64861°S 31.14500°E |
Mouth | Olifants River |
- location | Limpopo Province |
- coordinates | 23°59′22″S 31°49′36″E / 23.98944°S 31.82667°ECoordinates: 23°59′22″S 31°49′36″E / 23.98944°S 31.82667°E |
Basin | 67,000 km2 (25,869 sq mi) |
The Letaba River (Afrikaans: Letabarivier), also known as Leţaba, Lehlaba or Ritavi, is a river located in eastern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Olifants River.
It starts at the confluence of the Groot Letaba River and Klein Letaba River, whence they continue their journey eastwards through the Lowveld as the Letaba River. It joins the Olifants River in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains, near South Africa's border with Mozambique. In Mozambique the latter river is called the Rio Elefantes.
Tributaries include the Middle Letaba River, Nharhweni River, Ngwenyeni River, Nwanedzi River, Molototsi River, Nsama River and Makhadzi River.