The Maputo River (Portuguese ''Rio Maputo''), also called Great Usutu River, Lusutfu River, or Suthu River, is a river in

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. The name ''Suthu'' refers to Basotho people who lived near the source of the river, but were attacked and displaced by

Swazis The Swazi or Swati ( Swati: ''Emaswati'', singular ''Liswati'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, inhabiting Eswatini, a sovereign kingdom in Southern Africa. EmaSwati are part of the Nguni-language speaking peoples whose or ...

. It is also said to mean 'dark brown', a description of the river's muddy water.

Course

The river rises near

Amsterdam, Mpumalanga Amsterdam, officially eMvelo, is a small town located in Mkhondo Local Municipality, Mpumalanga South Africa. Amsterdam encompasses a large Swazi population as a result of its proximity to the Eswatini border which is relatively close to the are ...

, South Africa, and flows easterly through Eswatini, where it enters the Lebombo Mountains. The 13 km gorge forms the boundary between Eswatini and South Africa. For approximately twenty kilometres, it forms the border between South Africa (province of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

) and Mozambique. There, in the

Ndumo Game Reserve Ndumo Game Reserve is a small () South African game reserve located in the far northeast district of KwaZulu-Natal known as Maputaland. It is situated on the border with Mozambique where the Pongola River joins the Great Usutu River. It is adjacen ...

, it absorbs its largest tributary, the Pongola River. It then meanders through the Mozambican coastal plain and empties into southern Maputo Bay, some 85 kilometres downstream. In Eswatini, the river is called the Great Usutu or Lusutfu and flows through the towns of Bhunya,

Luyengo Luyengo is a town in western Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). It is located 35 kilometres south of the capital, Mbabane, on the MR18 highway, at the junction of the road south to Mankayane and Mgazini. In 1881 the Usuthu Mission school was opened in ...

, Siphofaneni, and Big Bend. The town of Big Bend is near a point in which the river

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

s abruptly. The Great Usutu is the largest river in Eswatini, it is the site of Eswatini's lowest point (21 m above sea level), and is known for whitewater rafting. No large towns have been able to form along its banks because of deep narrow valleys and dense forests. It is, however, home to some

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s, and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Tributaries

From the origin to its mouth, in order, tributaries are the: Seganagana, Bonnie Brook, Mpuluzi, Buhlungu, Umvenvane, Lusushwana,

Sidvokodvo Sidvokodvo is a town in central Eswatini, situated south of Manzini Manzini may refer to: *Manzini, Eswatini, a town in the Manzini Region of Eswatini *Manzini Region, a region of Eswatini *Manzini (surname), an Italian surname See also *Roman C ...

, Mkhondvo, Mhlamani, Mzimneni, Mzimphofu, Mhlathuzane, Mtsindzekwa, Nyetane, Funuane, and the Pongola Rivers.Usuthu/Mhlatuze WMA 6
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Dams on this river

* Westoe Dam * Lubovane Dam

References

External links

Maputo River Basin - SADC Water Sector ICP Collaboration Portal
Rivers of Mozambique Rivers of Eswatini Geography of Maputo Mozambique–South Africa border Eswatini–South Africa border International rivers of Africa Border rivers Rivers of Mpumalanga {{SouthAfrica-river-stub