Caledon
Caledon is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -29.61°, 27.09°
About Caledon
The Caledon River (Sotho: Mohokare) is a major river located in central South Africa. Its total length is 642 km (399 mi), rising in the Drakensberg Mountains on the Lesotho border, flowing southwestward and then westward before joining the Orange River near Bethulie in the southern Free State. The river was originally named Prinses Wilhelminas Rivier in 1777, by Colonel R J Gordon.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Caledon River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Caledon in Depth
Geography
The origin of the River Caledon is in the former bantustan of QwaQwa, near the border with Lesotho, southwest of Witsieshoek. It then flows south-west bordering Lesotho's capital city, Maseru. It forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho before entering South Africa's Free State province (north of Wepener). It then flows westward before joining the Orange River near Bethulie in southern Free State, just before flowing into the Gariep Dam. Its total length is about 480 km (300 mi), and its valley experiences great temperature swings. The land in the wedge between Caledon River and Orange River forms the 22,000-ha Tussen-die-Riviere Nature Reserve.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Caledon River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Caledon: Key Facts
| Length | 480 km |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Orange River |
| Drainage system | Orange River basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q509983 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Caledon: Quick Answers
- Where is Caledon?
- Caledon is located in South Africa and Lesotho, at 29.6115° S, 27.0898° E.
- Are there dams on the Caledon?
- No dam on the Caledon is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.