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Rufiji River

Largest and longest river in Tanzania

Field	Value
name	Rufiji
image	SelousSandRivers.jpg
image_caption	Rufiji river in Selous
map	Rufiji River basin map.svg
map_caption	Map of the Rufiji River drainage basin. The separate, endorheic Lake Sulunga basin is shown in green.
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	Tanzania
subdivision_type2	Region
subdivision_name2	Pwani Region
subdivision_type3	Region
subdivision_name3	Morogoro Region
subdivision_type4	Region
subdivision_name4	Iringa Region
length	600 km
source1	Great Ruaha River
source1_location	Tanzania
source1_coordinates
source2	Kilombero River
source2_location	Morogoro Region
source3	Luwegu River
source3_location	Morogoro Region
mouth	Indian Ocean
mouth_location	Pwani Region
mouth_coordinates
basin_size	177429 sqkm

The Rufiji River lies entirely within Tanzania. It is also the largest and longest river in the country. The river is formed by the confluence of the Kilombero and Luwegu rivers. It is approximately 600 km long, with its source in southwestern Tanzania and its mouth on the Indian Ocean opposite Mafia Island across the Mafia Channel, in Pwani Region. Its principal tributary is the Great Ruaha River. It is navigable for approximately 100 km.

The Rufiji river is approximately 200 km south of Dar es Salaam. The river's delta contains the largest mangrove forest in eastern Africa.

History

A branch of ancient sea routes led down the East African coast called "Azania" by the Greeks and Romans in the 1st century CE as described in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (and, very probably, 澤散 in the 3rd century by the Chinese), at least as far as the port known to the Romans as Rhapta, which was probably located in the delta of the Rufiji River in modern Tanzania.

During the First World War, from October 1914 to July 1915, the river delta was the scene of a protracted naval operation. These were the attempts, and later achievement, by the Royal Navy to neutralize and destroy the German cruiser Königsberg.

Basin

The catchment basin for the Rufiji River complex is 177429 sqkm.

River	Area
km2	Percentage
of area	Percentage
of run-off	Great Ruaha	Kilombero	Luwegu	Rufiji (lower river)	Total
83,970	47	15
39,990	23	62
26,300	15	18
27,160	15	5
177,429	100	100

Hydroelectric Project

Main article: Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station

Tanzania president John Magufuli has approved the construction of a controversial new dam and power station on the river at Stiegler's Gorge. The power station is expected to provide 2,100 megawatts of electricity, more than triple Tanzania's existing installed hydropower capacity which is only 562 megawatts. Construction of the dam started on July 26, 2019, and it is expected be ready by 2022.

References

""Downstream and Coastal Impacts of Damming and Water Abstraction in Africa", ''Environmental Management'', authored by Maria Snoussi, Johnson Kitheka, Yohanna Shaghude, Alioune Kane, Russell Arthurton, Martin Le Tissier, and Hassan Virji, 2007, volume 39, page 589".
(September 2004). "The Peoples of the West". [[University of Washington]].
"The Egypto-Graeco-Romans and Panchea/Azania: sailing in the Erythraean Sea." Felix A. Chami. In: ''Society for Arabian Studies Monographs 2 Trade and Travel in the Red Sea Region''. Proceedings of Red Sea Project I held in the British Museum October 2002, pp. 93-104. Edited by Paul Lunde and Alexandra Porter. {{ISBN. 1-84171-622-7.
Arvidson, Anders. (May 2009). "Initial Assessment of Socioeconomic and Environmental Risks and Opportunities of Large-scale Biofuels Production in the Rufiji District". SEKAB BioEnergy (T) Ltd.
(2008). "Turning water into power: Debates over the Development of Tanzania's Rufiji River Basin, 1945-1985". Technology and Culture.
(2021). "Climate Risk in Africa: Adaptation and Resilience". Palgrave Macmillian.
(July 26, 2019). "Tanzania to Construct Hydropower Plant on National Reserve". [[Voice of America]].
Tairo, Apolinari. (July 26, 2019). "Tanzania launches Rufiji power plant". [[The EastAfrican]].
Takouleu, Jean Marie. (24 July 2019). "Stiegler's Gorge dam construction begins on July 26". Afrik 21.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

rufiji-river rivers-of-tanzania

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