Kuiseb River

Coordinates: 23°07′S 14°32′E / 23.117°S 14.533°E / -23.117; 14.533

Kuiseb River

The Kuiseb River during rain season

Satellite image of the Kuiseb River
Main source Windhoek
River mouth Walvis Bay
Location Namibia
Length 300 mi (480 km)

The Kuiseb River in Namibia flows from the Khomas highlands west of Windhoek to Walvis Bay. The Kuiseb is an ephemeral river with a mean run-off of roughly 20 million cubic metres per annum.[1]

It is bordered on one side by some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, and on the other by barren rock. The red sand dunes south of the river reach heights over 150 meters. The prevailing winds blow the dunes northward, but their movement is blocked by the river. In the process, so much sand and silt is deposited in the Kuiseb that it only reaches the sea while it is in flood. Friedenau Dam, built in 1972, is located on the river.[2]

See also

References

External links

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.