The longest river in South Africa, forming much of the border with Namibia across arid land.
Length
2,200 km
Source
Drakensberg, Lesotho
Mouth
Atlantic Ocean
Continent
Africa
Countries
South Africa & Namibia
Did you know?
The Orange River basin yields some of the world's finest diamonds, washed down and concentrated along its lower course.
Little-known fact
Despite its size it was named not for its colour but after the Dutch royal House of Orange.
Highlights
- Longest river in South Africa
- Famous for alluvial diamonds
- Named after Dutch royalty, not its colour
Life in the Orange
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Nile crocodile
Africa’s largest crocodile and a patient ambush hunter little changed since the age of dinosaurs.
Waterbirds
African fish eagle
The ringing call of this black-white-and-chestnut raptor is the iconic “voice of Africa” by the water.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here