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KOMATI

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 892 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KOMATI , a See also:

river of See also:south-eastern See also:Africa. It rises at an See also:elevation of about 5000 ft. in the See also:Ermelo See also:district of the'See also:Transvaal, 11 m. W. of the source of the See also:Vaal, and flowing in a See also:general N. and E. direction reaches the See also:Indian Ocean at Delagoa See also:Bay, after a course of some Soo See also:miles. In its upper valley near Steynsdorp are See also:gold-See also:fields, but the reefs are almost entirely of See also:low grade ore. The river descends the See also:Drakensberg by a pass 30 M. S. of See also:Barber-ton, and at the eastern border of See also:Swaziland is deflected See also:north-See also:ward, keeping a course parallel to the Lebombo mountains. Just W. of 32° E. and in 25° 25' S. it is joined by one of the many See also:rivers of South Africa named See also:Crocodile. This tributary rises, as the Elands river, in the Bergendal (6437 ft.) near the upper See also:waters of the Komati, and flows E. across the high veld, being turned northward as it reaches the Drakensberg escarpment. The fall to the low veld is over 2000 ft. in 30 m., and across the See also:country between the Drakensberg and the Lebombo (See also:loo m.) there is a further fall of 3000 ft. A mile below the junction of the Crocodile and Komati, the See also:united stream, which from this point is also known as the Manhissa, passes to the See also:coast See also:plain through a cleft 626 ft. high in the Lebombo known as Komati Poort, where are some picturesque falls. At Komati Poort, which marks the frontier between See also:British and Portuguese territory, the river is less than 6o m. from its mouth in a See also:direct See also:line, but in See also:crossing the plain it makes a wide sweep of 200 m., first N. and then S., forming See also:lagoon-like expanses and back-waters and receiving from the north several tributaries. In See also:flood See also:time there is a connexion northward through the swamps with the See also:basin of the See also:Limpopo.

The Komati enters the See also:

sea 15 m. N. of Lourenco Marques. It is navigable from its mouth, where the See also:water is from 12 to 18 ft. deep, to the See also:foot of the Lebombo. The railway from Lourenco Marques to See also:Pretoria traverses the plain in a direct line, and at mile 45 reaches the Komati. It follows the south See also:bank of the river and enters the high country at Komati Poort. At a small See also:town with the same name, 2 M. W. of the Poort, on the 23rd of See also:September 1900, during the See also:war with See also:England, 3000 Boers crossed the frontier and surrendered to the Portuguese authorities. From the Poort westward the railway skirts the south bank of the Crocodile river throughout its length.

End of Article: KOMATI

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KOMAROM (Ger., Komorn)
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KOMOTAU (Czech, Chomiitov)