Maputo
Maputo 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
- -26.80°, 32.38°
About Maputo
The Maputo River (Portuguese: Rio Maputo), also called Great Usutu River, Lusutfu River, or Suthu River, is a river in South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique. The name Suthu refers to Basotho people who lived near the source of the river, but were attacked and displaced by the Swazis. It is also said to mean 'dark brown', a description of the river's muddy water. Meanwhile the name Maputo refers to King Mabudu Tembe, who reigned during the XVIII century at that region.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Maputo River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Maputo in Depth
Course
The river rises near Amsterdam, Mpumalanga, South Africa, and flows easterly through Eswatini, where it enters the Lebombo Mountains. The 13 km gorge forms the boundary between Eswatini and South Africa. For approximately twenty kilometres, it forms the border between South Africa (province of KwaZulu-Natal) and Mozambique. There, in the Ndumo Game Reserve, it absorbs its largest tributary, the Pongola River. It then meanders through the Mozambican coastal plain and empties into southern Maputo Bay, some 85 kilometres downstream.
In Eswatini, the river is called the Great Usutu or Lusutfu and flows through the towns of Bhunya, Luyengo, Siphofaneni, and Big Bend. The town of Big Bend is near a point in which the river meanders abruptly.
Tributaries
From the origin to its mouth, in order, tributaries are the: Sihanahana, Bonnie Brook, Mpuluzi, Buhlungu, Umvenvane, Lusushwana, Sidvokodvo, Mkhondvo, Mhlamani, Mzimneni, Mzimphofu, Mhlathuzane, Mtsindzekwa, Nyetane, Funuane, and the Pongola Rivers.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Maputo River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Maputo: Key Facts
| Length | 300 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 29,790 km² |
| Mouth | Indian Ocean |
| Tributaries | Pongola River |
Facts from Wikidata Q2452912 (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
Maputo: Quick Answers
- Where is Maputo?
- Maputo is located in Mozambique and South Africa, at 26.8016° S, 32.3824° E.
- Are there dams on the Maputo?
- No dam on the Maputo is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.