Limpopo River, African river between Botswana and South Africa
The Limpopo is an African river that stretches along the border between Botswana and South Africa, flowing further through Mozambique toward the Indian Ocean. Its width changes with the seasons, and the riverbed carries heavy silt loads downstream after strong rains.
Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama reached this waterway in 1498 and named it Espiritu Santo during his voyage. Centuries later, European mapmakers adopted a local name, giving the river its current title.
Local Venda people call this waterway Vhembe, and South African authorities now use the name for their district municipality. Along the banks, river communities depend on the flow for drinking water and for small vegetable plots that grow during the rainy months.
Water levels swing sharply between rainy and dry seasons, and some stretches shrink to a trickle during winter. Visitors hiking nearby should watch for warning signs and keep clear of the banks after heavy rainfall.
In 2013, roughly 15,000 Nile crocodiles entered the river after fences failed during flooding at a nearby farm. Since then, the waterway has held far more crocodiles than before, a fact fishermen and residents remember each time they approach the banks.
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