Ruvuma River
| Ruvuma | |
| Rovuma | |
| River | |
| Countries | Tanzania, Mozambique |
|---|---|
| Source | |
| - elevation | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) |
| - coordinates | 10°45′00″S 35°40′00″E / 10.75000°S 35.66667°E |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Indian Ocean |
| - coordinates | 10°28′28″S 40°26′13″E / 10.47444°S 40.43694°ECoordinates: 10°28′28″S 40°26′13″E / 10.47444°S 40.43694°E |
| Length | 800 km (497 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 475 m3/s (16,774 cu ft/s) |
Ruvuma River, formerly also known as the Rovuma River, is a river in the African Great Lakes region. During the greater part of its course, it forms the border between Tanzania and Mozambique (in Mozambique known as Rio Rovuma). The river is 800 kilometres (497 mi) long, with a drainage basin 155,500 square kilometres (60,000 sq mi) in size. Its mean annual discharge is 475 m³/s (16,774 cfs) at its mouth.
The lower Ruvuma river is formed by the junction at 11° 25' S., 38° 31' E. of two branches of nearly equal importance, the longer of which, the Lujenda, comes from the south-west, the other, which still bears the name Ruvuma, from the west. Its source lies on an undulating plateau, 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, immediately to the east of Lake Nyasa, at 10° 45' S., 35° 40' E., the head-stream flowing first due west before turning south and east.
In its eastward course, the Ruvuma flows near the base of the escarpment of an arid sandstone plateau to the north, from which direction the streams, which have cut themselves deep channels in the plateau edge, have almost all short courses.
On the opposite bank the Ruvuma receives, besides the Lujenda, the Msinje River and Luchulingo River, flowing in broad valleys running from south to north. The Lujenda rises in proximity to Lake Chilwa, in the small Lake Chiuta (1,700 ft), the swamps to the south of this being separated from Chilwa only by a narrow wooded ridge. The stream which issues from Chiuta passes by a swampy valley into the narrow Lake Amaramba, from which the Lujenda River finally issues as a stream 80 yards wide.
Lower down it varies greatly in breadth, containing in many parts long wooded islands which rise above the flood level, and are often inhabited. The river is fordable in many places in the dry season. At its mouth it is about a mile wide.
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Wikipedia