The Nossob (also Nosob or Nossop) River (''ǂnuse ǃab'',

Khoikhoi Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also ''Hottentot (racial term), Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 ...

for black river) is a dry river bed in eastern

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and the

Kalahari The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal de ...

region of

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 ...

and

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

. It covers a distance of 740 km and last flooded in 1989. The river also lends its name to Nossob camp in the

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa. The park straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana and comprises two adjoining national parks: * Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in S ...

Course

The Nossob has its origin in two main

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

, the Swart-Nossob and Wit-Nossob, meaning black and white respectively. Both tributaries have their origins in the eastern slopes of the Otjihavera mountain range, east of

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

. Their sources are at 1,800 m and over 2,000 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

respectively. The two river beds have their

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

some 80 km south of

Gobabis , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = Ex Oriente Lux , image_skyline = Gobabis Namibia aerial.jpg , imagesize = 300px , imag ...

, which is situated on the bank of the Swart-Nossob. From this confluence the river course passes the settlements of Leonardville and Aranos to arrive at Union's End, South Africa. From Union's End the river bed, forming the Botswana border, meanders through the

for a distance of over 200 km. It reaches the southern boundary of the game reserve just north of Twee Rivieren Camp, near its confluence with the Auob river. In the

, the Nossob is said to flow about once a century. However, water does flow underground to provide life for grass and camelthorn trees growing in the river bed. The Nossob may flow briefly after large thunderstorms, causing wildlife to flock to the river. The Nossob ends at a confluence with the

Molopo River The Molopo River ( af, Moloporivier) is one of the main rivers in Southern Africa. It has a length of approximately 960 kilometres and a catchment area of 367,201 km2 with Botswana, Namibia and South Africa sharing roughly about a third of th ...

some 50 km south of

Twee Rivieren Twee Rivieren is a small residential suburb in George, South Africa. It is located in the northern area of the city between Denneoord to the north and Bo-dorp to the south. "Twee Rivieren" is a Dutch name, meaning "Two Rivers". Its name is derive ...

. The confluence at is still 890 m above

. The Molopo is in turn a tributary of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

, which it meets downstream of

Augrabies Falls The Augrabies Falls is a waterfall on the Orange River, the largest river in South Africa. Since 1966 the waterfall, set in a desolate and rugged milieu, is enclosed by the Augrabies Falls National Park. The falls are around in height. Some s ...

Dams

White Nossob

Otjivero Dam Omitara is a settlement in the Steinhausen electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. Together with the adjacent village of Otjivero — the two places are often referred to as one — it had a population of approximately 1,200 as ...

, near the settlements of Otjivero and

Omitara Omitara is a settlement in the Steinhausen electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. Together with the adjacent village of Otjivero — the two places are often referred to as one — it had a population of approximately 1,200 as ...

Oanob River

The Oanob River, a tributary of the

Auob River The Auob River is a tributary of the Nossob River in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Headwaters * in Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlant ...

features two dams: * Nauspoort Dam *

Oanob Dam Oanob Dam is a dam outside Rehoboth, Hardap Region, Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the ...

Notes

External links