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The Gariep (Orange) estuary
(28°38' S;
16°27' E)
is situated just north of the coastal town of Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape and forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. The Gariep (Orange) River is the largest in southern Africa and drains most of the western part of southern Africa including parts of Namibia and Lesotho. The river is approximately 2 173 km with a catchment area of about 549 700 sq. km. This excludes that part of the catchment that lies in Namibia. About 12% of the Gariep catchment was under agriculture. Most of this was temporary commercial dryland agriculture, subsistence farming and some temporary commercial irrigated agriculture. Approximately 4% of the catchment was degraded, mostly bushland, grassland, and shrubland. Some dongas and sheet erosion was also present. Roughly 83% of the Gariep catchment was natural. This comprised shrubland, grassland, and bushland, with some waterbodies (impoundments). Urban development accounted for about 1% of the Gariep catchment land-cover. This comprised residential development, mines and quarries, smallholdings, and commercial and industrial development. Covering most of South Africa and all of Lesotho, the Gariep catchment includes the major cities of Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Kimberly, Klerksdorp, Maseru, Potchefstroom, Vereeniging, and Welkom.
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