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The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is the modified version of the original Sepedi name ''diphororo tša meetse'', meaning ″gushing strong waterfalls". The river is approximately long, with a drainage basin in size. The mean discharge measured over a year is 170 m3/s (6,200 cu ft/s) at its mouth.〔; online at (Google Books )〕 The Limpopo is the second largest river in Africa that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River. The first European to sight the river was Vasco da Gama, who anchored off its mouth in 1498 and named it Espiritu Santo River. Its lower course was explored by St. Vincent Whitshed Erskine in 1868–69, and Captain J.F. Elton traveled down its middle course in 1870. == Course == The Limpopo River flows in a great arc, first zigzagging north and then northeast, then turning east and finally southeast. It serves as a border for about , separating South Africa to the southeast from Botswana to the northwest and Zimbabwe to the north. Two of its tributaries, the Marico River and the Crocodile River join, at which point the name changes to Limpopo River. There are several rapids as the river falls off Southern Africa's inland escarpment. The Notwane River is a major tributary of the Limpopo, rising on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and flowing in a north-easterly direction.〔(The Notwane River, Botswana )〕 The main tributary of the Limpopo, the Olifants River (Elephant River), contributes around 1,233 million m3 of water per year.〔Görgens, A.H.M. and Boroto, R.A. 1997. Limpopo River: flow balance anomalies, surprises and implications for integrated water resources management. In: Proceedings of the 8th South African National Hydrology Symposium, Pretoria, South Africa.〕 Other major tributaries include the Shashe River, Mzingwane River, Crocodile River, Mwenezi River and Luvuvhu River.〔(Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin )〕 In the north-eastern corner of South Africa the river borders the Kruger National Park. The port town of Xai-Xai, Mozambique is on the river near the mouth. Below the Olifants, the river is permanently navigable to the sea, though a sandbar prevents access by large ships except at high tide. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Limpopo River」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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