NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Vaal River

The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source in the Drakensberg mountains in Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg, and flows southwest to its conjunction with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. It is 1120km in length, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south. This image shows only the last 100 kilometers or so of the Orange River. ... The Drakensberg Drakensberg Range from space, April 1993 Maluti mountains in Lesotho The Drakensberg (Afrikaans for Dragons Mountain) mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. ... Mpumalanga, (name changed from Eastern Transvaal on 24 August 1995), is a province in South Africa. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area - % water 1,644 kmÂ² 0. ... Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. ... Capital Kimberley Largest city Kimberley Premier Elizabeth Dipuo Peters (ANC) Area - Total Ranked 1st 361,830 kmÂ² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 9th 822,726 2/kmÂ² Languages Afrikaans (70%) Tswana (20%) Xhosa (6. ... Mpumalanga, (name changed from Eastern Transvaal on 24 August 1995), is a province in South Africa. ... Categories: South Africa stubs | Provinces of South Africa | Gauteng Province ... Categories: South Africa stubs | North West Province | Provinces of South Africa ... For the term free state as it arises in United States history, see: Free state. ...

Importance to industry and agriculture

Water is drawn from the Vaal to meet the industrial needs of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area and a large part of the Free State Province. As a part of the Vaal-Hartz Scheme it is a major source of water for irrigation. Water drawn from the Vaal supports 12 Million consumers in Gauteng. The Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area is the official name of the area surrounding the city of Johannesburg, in South Africa. ...

Gong Gong at Vaal river: one of the first locations where alluvial diamonds were found.

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History

The name Vaal comes from Dutch (later Afrikaans), and means "pale", which alludes to the greyish colours of its waters, especially noticed during flood season when much silt is carried. Historically, the river formed the boundary between two Boer republics, and later provinces, Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The geographic name Transvaal comes from the name of this river, meaning "Beyond the Vaal river". This was in respect to the Cape Colony and Natal, which were the main areas of European settlement at the time, and lay south of the Vaal. Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Boer Republics (sometimes also referred to as Boer states) were independent self-governed republics created by the Dutch-speaking (proto Afrikaans) inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope and their descendants (variously named Trekboers, Boers and Voortrekkers) in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Flag of the Orange Free State Capital Bloemfontein Language(s) Afrikaans, English Religion Dutch Reformed Church Government Republic President - 1854 - 1855 Josias P. Hoffman - 1855 - 1859 Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff - 1859 - 1863 Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (also President of the South African Republic from 1857 to 1871). ... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister - 1908 â€“ 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century - Dutch East India... Natal is a former British colony, and a South African province. ...

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Vaal Dam (672 words)
	Vaal Dam is located on the Vaal River some 56km south of Johannesburg, close to Vereeniging.
	Vaal Dam forms the central storage reservoir for the Vaal River water supply system which supplies water to the industrial powerhouse of the whole country.
	Vaal Dam is therefore of great importance to South Africa and a key component of the water supply infrastructure for Gauteng and the surrounding provinces.

Vaal - Search Results - MSN Encarta (87 words)
	Vaal, river, South Africa, rising in the Drakensberg Mountains, on the border of Swaziland, and flowing west and southwest along the northern border...
	The chief rivers are the Orange, Vaal, and Limpopo.
	- river in northeastern South Africa, a tributary of the Orange River.

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Importance to industry and agriculture