Bahr el Zeraf

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Bahr el Zeraf
Bahr ez Zeraf, Giraffe River, Phou[1]
River
Name origin: from Arabic "Giraffe River"
Country South Sudan
State Jonglei
Region Central Upper Nile
Source Sudd swamp
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Source confluence
 - location Zeraf Cuts, South Sudan
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Mouth White Nile
 - location New Fangak, South Sudan
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
<div style="position:absolute; left:55%; top:Division by zero.%; padding:0;">

The Bahr el Zeraf (also spelled Bahr az-Zaraf, Bahr ez Zeraf, and Baḩr az Zarāf) is an arm of the White Nile in the Sudd region of South Sudan. It is completely contained within the South Sudanese state of Jonglei. Its name is Arabic for "Giraffe River".[2]

Course

The Bahr el Zeraf forms in the southern Sudd wetlands as an arm of the Bahr al Jabal ("Mountain Nile") section of the White Nile. A pair of man-made canals known as the Zeraf Cuts were dug in 1910 and 1913[3] to connect the two rivers at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[4] These canals divert some of the Jabal's flow, more than doubling the Zeraf's volume, with the intention of accelerating the flow to Egypt and thereby reducing the water "lost" to evaporation and transpiration in the swamps.[3]

From the Cuts the Zeraf flows north through the Ez Zeraf Game Reserve for 280 kilometres (170 mi). About 100 kilometres (62 mi) of this distance is through continuous swamp with islands, transitioning further downstream to a well-defined channel with raised banks.[3] The Zeraf rejoins the White Nile near New Fangak,[5] 80 kilometres (50 mi) downriver from Lake No and 56 kilometres (35 mi) upriver from Malakal.[6]

See also

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links