Limpopo River

African rivers · geography · water

Flows eastward. The Limpopo River starts in South Africa and travels generally eastward, crossing through Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean. This journey covers approximately 1,750 kilometers.

Massive drainage basin. The river drains water from an enormous area of 415,000 square kilometers. That's like collecting rainwater from a space almost as big as the entire country of Morocco.

Steady water flow. Throughout the year, the Limpopo discharges between 170 and 313 cubic meters of water per second into the ocean. That's enough to fill thousands of swimming pools every single second.

Second biggest to the ocean. The Limpopo is Africa's second largest river that flows into the Indian Ocean, with only the Zambezi River being bigger. Both are major waterways that shape the continent.