Gamka River ( af, Gamkarivier) is a river located in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The name '' means 'Lion' and was probably named so by the

San people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...

(Bushmen). The river originates north of

Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beauf ...

, generally flowing southwest towards the

Gamkapoort Dam Gamkapoort Dam is a gravity type dam located on the Gamka River, near Prince Albert, Western Cape, South Africa. It was established in 1969 and its primary purpose is for flood control. See also *List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa *List ...

. The main tributaries of the Gamka River, are the Dwyka River, Koekemoers River and Leeuw River which rise in the Great

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

, converge and flow southwards through the

Swartberg The Swartberg mountains (''black mountain'' in Afrikaans) are a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is composed of two main mountain chains running roughly east–west along the northern edge of the semi-arid Little ...

Mountains. The Olifants River joins the Gamka River south of

Calitzdorp Calitzdorp is a town on the Western side of the Little or Klein Karoo in the Western Cape Province The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provi ...

. Together these become the

Gourits River Gourits River ( af, Gouritsrivier), sometimes spelled 'Gouritz River', is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Gourits River flows from the confluence of the Gamka River and Olifants River and is joined by the Groot River, before flo ...

.Gouritz WMA 16
/ref> The Gamka River flows from the North East of the

Gamka Dam Gamka is a South African place name and may refer to: Dams on the Gamka River * Leeu-Gamka Dam, on the Leeuw River near Beaufort West, Western Cape, South Africa * Gamkapoort Dam, on the Gamka River, near Prince Albert, Western Cape, South Africa ...

and the Dwyka River from the North West. Both rivers flow into the Gamka Dam from there the Gamka river flows south and becomes the

, where it flows past the similarly named mountains

Gamkaberg The Gamkaberg Nature Reserve is situated in the Little Karoo region of the Western Cape province, South Africa. Name and history The reserve takes its name from the central mountain, Gamkaberg, which in turn derives its name from the indigenou ...

Dams in the Gamka River

* Doornfontein Dam (capacity ), *

(capacity ), * Springfontein Dam, * Leeu-Gamka Dam (capacity ), *

(capacity ), * Oukloof Dam (capacity ), * Calitzdorp Dam (capacity ), * Tierkloof Dam (capacity )

References

{{Authority control Rivers of the Western Cape