Pongola River | |
Phongolo | |
River | |
Pongola river, immediately below Pongolapoort Dam
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Name origin: From the Zulu for 'trough-like', 'river of troughs', referring to long pools. | |
Countries | South Africa, Mozambique |
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Source | |
- location | Near Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
Mouth | Maputo River |
- location | Maputo Province, Mozambique |
- elevation | 29 m (95 ft) |
- coordinates | 26°51′21″S 32°20′47″E / 26.85583°S 32.34639°ECoordinates: 26°51′21″S 32°20′47″E / 26.85583°S 32.34639°E |
The Pongola or Phongolo River (Afrikaans: Pongolarivier) is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through Pongola, is dammed at Pongolapoort, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows north towards Mozambique, joining the Maputo River.
Its main tributaries are the Bivane River and the Mozana River in South Africa, as well as the Ngwavuma in Swaziland.