Nyl River
| Nyl River Nylrivier | |
|---|---|
Dropping over a weir in its upper reaches | |
| Etymology | Meaning "Nile" in the Afrikaans language; the river owes its name to a confusion |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| State | Limpopo Province |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Waterberg Massif |
| • location | Near Bela-Bela (Warmbad) |
| • elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Mogalakwena River |
• coordinates | 24°16′25″S 28°58′37″E / 24.27361°S 28.97694°E |
• elevation | 1,060 m (3,480 ft) |
| Basin size | 2,425 km2 (936 sq mi) |
The Nyl River (Afrikaans: Nylrivier) is a watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It flows at the head of the Mogalakwena River, being its southernmost tributary or uppermost section. It is located near Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in the northern part of the Springbok Flats, a particular geological formation.
The name of the Nyl River originated in the word for "Nile". In the 1860s, a group of pious and enthusiastic Dutch Voortrekkers known as the Jerusalemgangers, saw the large flooded plain with its wide river flowing lazily northwards and were under the impression that they had arrived at the mighty Nylrivier, the Nile river. They settled the place and founded a town in 1866, calling it Nylstroom.