Giriyondo Border Post South Africa Mozambique (5132904810)

The

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

between

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and

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 ...

is divided into two segments, separated by the kingdom of

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

. The northern segment, which is long, runs north–south along the

Lebombo Mountains The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...

from

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

to Eswatini. The southern segment, which is long, runs east–west across

Maputaland Maputaland is a natural region of Southern Africa. It is located in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between Eswatini and the coast. In a wider sense it may also include the southernmost region of Mozambique. The bi ...

from Eswatini to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

Geography

The

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

with Zimbabwe is located at Crooks' Corner, in the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mountaino ...

either at or very close to its confluence with the

Luvuvhu River The Levubu River or Levuvhu ( ts, Rivubye; ve, Luvuvhu) is located in the northern Limpopo province of South Africa. Some of its tributaries, such as the Mutshindudi River and Mutale River rise in the Soutpansberg Mountains. The Luvuvhu River f ...

. The border runs in a straight line from this tripoint to the

Shingwedzi River The Shingwedzi River ( ve, Tshingwedzi; ts, Xingwedzi/shingwedzi; af, Shingwedzirivier; pt, Rio Singuédzi) is a river in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and Gaza Province, Mozambique. It is a left hand tributary of the Olifants River (Limpopo) ...

, and then along a series of straight lines joining beacons generally along the top of the eastern slope of the

. It crosses the Olifants,

Sabie Sabie is a forestry town situated on the banks of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The name Sabie is derived from the siSwati word "Ulusaba" which means "fearful river" because the river was once teeming with dangerous Nile crocodile. ...

and Komati rivers. This segment of the border terminates at the northern Eswatini tripoint at Mpundweni Beacon near

Namaacha Namaacha or Naamacha is a town in southern Mozambique, lying 80 kilometers west of Maputo on the border with Eswatini. It is located in the Lebombos area. It is known for its colonial church and for its waterfall. The town of Namaacha lies in ...

. The southern Eswatini tripoint is situated at Abercorn Drift in the Usutu River (Maputo River), where the Mozambique–Eswatini border along the Lebombo Mountains meets the river. From here the border follows the Usuthu to its former confluence with the

Pongola River The Phongolo River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through Pongolo, is dammed at Pongolapoort, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows north ...

; the location of the confluence has changed since the border was demarcated. The border then runs in an easterly direction along straight lines joining beacons generally at the same latitude as the Usutu-Pongola confluence (approximately 26° 52′ South). It meets the Indian Ocean below Monte Ouro peak, just to the south of

Ponta do Ouro Ponta do Ouro (also Ponta d'Ouro) is a town in the extreme south of Mozambique, lying on the Mozambique Channel, south of Maputo and just north of the border with South Africa. The name is Portuguese for "tip of gold", referring to a cape at the ...

Crossings

There are four official border crossings, three in the northern segment and one in the southern segment. The main crossing is Ressano Garcia/Lebombo where the

Maputo Corridor The Maputo Corridor is a major trade corridor which connects the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa with Maputo, which is a port and the capital of Mozambique. The corridor comprises roads - including the N4 toll road (from ...

highway and railway cross the border. The crossings are listed from north to south in the table below. The Mozambican and South African Governments announced on the 18th of March 2018 that the Ressano Garcia border would open 24 hours starting in April of that same year

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mozambique-South Africa border Borders of South Africa International borders