The Nahoon River ( xh, Nxaruni) is situated in the city of
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
on the east coast of South Africa.
Geography
It is to the east of the
Buffalo River harbour, and is to the west of
Gonubie River
Gonubie is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Seaside town at the mouth of the Gqunube (Gonubie) River, 21 km north-east of East London. The name is said to be derived from Khoekhoen and to mean 'bramble river', after Royena ...
. The suburb of Nahoon is on its west bank and Beacon Bay is on the east bank. It flows through an
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
and Africa's southernmost mangrove forest into 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 ...
. Its mouth is located near Nahoon Reef which is a famous
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
spot and is also known for attacks by
great white shark
The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...
s.
Water management
The
Nahoon Dam
Nahoon Dam is a gravity type dam located on the Nahoon River, near East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was established in 1966 and serves primarily for domestic supply and industrial use. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked hi ...
supplies some of the water for the city of East London.
Presently this river is part of the
Mzimvubu to Keiskama Water Management Area Mzimvubu to Keiskamma WMA, or Mzimvubu to Keiskamma Water Management Area (coded: 12), includes the following major rivers: the Swane River, Mntafufu River, Mzimvubu River, Mngazi River, Mthatha River, Xora River, Mbashe River, Nqabara River, ...
.
Ecology
There is a small population of the
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
Eastern Province rocky
The Eastern Province rocky (''Sandelia bainsii''), also known as rocky kurper, is a species of fish in the family Anabantidae. It is endemic to South Africa.
The specific name of this species is thought to honour the Scottish geologist, explor ...
(''Sandelia bainsii'') in the Nahoon river.
''Sandelia bainsii''
/ref>
See also
* List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guideline ...
* List of estuaries of South Africa
This is a list of estuaries in South Africa. The list is in order from East (border with Mozambique) to the West (border with Namibia).
The South African coastline stretches for some 3000 km from Kosi Bay near the Mozambique border in the ...
References
Rivers of the Eastern Cape
East London, Eastern Cape
{{SouthAfrica-river-stub