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SOBAT
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SOBAT , a See also:river of N.E. See also:Africa, the most southerly of the See also:great eastern affluents of the See also:Nile. It is formed by the junction of various streams which rise in the S.W. of the Abyssinian See also:highlands and N.W. of See also:Lake See also:Rudolf. The length of the Sobat, reckoning from the source of the Baro, the See also:chief upper stream, to the confluence with the Nile is about 46o m. The Baro rises in about 36° ro' E., 7° 5o' N. at an See also:altitude of some 7000 ft. It has a See also:general W. direction with a slight N. tendency. It is joined by numerous other streams which also rise on the Abyssinian See also:plateau. These See also:mountain torrents descend the escarpment of the plateau between great walls of See also:rock, the Baro dropping 3000 ft. in 45 M. It then flows through a narrow See also:gorge at an altitude of about 2000 ft., the mountains on either See also:side towering 3000 to 4000 ft. above the river See also:bed. Just See also:east of 35' E. the Birbir, descending from the plateau, joins the Baro and brings with it a large See also:volume of See also:water. Some 40 m" See also:lower down the hills are See also:left behind, the rocks and rapids in the bed of the Baro cease, and the river flows W. across a vast See also:plain with many windings and several divergent channels. From Gambela, a See also:town on its N. See also:bank 20 M. below the Birbir junction, the river is
navigable by steamers during See also:flood See also:time (See also:June-See also:December) to the point of confluence with the See also: From the N. the Baro is joined by two considerable See also:rivers which also rise in the rampart of hills that separates See also:Abyssinia from the See also:Sudan, but its chief tributaries are from the S. In about 330 20' E., 8° 30' N., it is joined by the Pibor. This river issues from the swamp region east of Bor on the See also:Bahr-el-See also:Jebel stretch of the Nile and flows N.E. and N. It is joined from the E. and S. by various streams having their See also:sources on the W. slopes of the See also:Kaffa plateau. Of these the chief are the See also:Gelo—which breaks through a See also:gap in the mountains in a See also:series of magnificent cascades—and the Akobo. The Akobo rises in about 6° 30' N,, 35° 30' E., and after leaving the mountains flows N.W. through See also:flat swampy tracts. The whole region of the lower Pibor and Baro is one of swamps, caused by the rivers overflowing their See also:banks in the See also:rainy See also:season. At its junction with the Baro the Pibor is over roo yds. wide, with a See also:depth of 8 ft. and a See also:speed of 2.3 ft. per second. Below the confluence of the Pibor and Baro the See also:united stream, now known as the Sobat, takes a decided N.W. trend, passing for some distance through a region of swamps. Just' beyond the swamps and some 40 M. below the confluence, is the fortified See also:post of Nasser. From this point the ground on either side pf the river gradually rises, though on the S. it is liable to inundation during flood time. From Nasser to the junction of the Sobat with the Nile the river has a course of about 18o m. As it approaches the Nile the Sobat flows in a well-defined channel cut in the alluvial plains through which it passes. The banks become steep, the slope rapid and the current strong. Several kltors join it from N. and S., some being simply spill channels. These channels or " loops " are a characteristic feature of the river. The Sobat enters the Nile almost at right angles in 90 22' N., 31° 31' E. It is 400 ft. wide at its mouth and has a depth of 18 to 20 ft. at See also:low water and of 30 ft. when in flood. The See also:colour of *the water when in moderate flood is that of See also:milk, and it is from this circumstance that the Nile gets its name of Bahr-el-Abiad, i.e. White River. In full flood the colour of the Sobat is a See also:pale See also:brick red. The amount of See also:alluvium brought down is considerable. For the See also:part played by the Sobat in the See also:annual rise of the Nile see NILE. The Sobat was ascended for some distance in 1841 by the See also:Egyptian expedition despatched in the previous See also:year to explore the upper Nile. The post of Nasser (see above) was founded in 1874 by General C. G. See also:Gordon when See also:governor of the See also:equatorial provinces of See also:Egypt, and it was visited in 1876 by Dr W. See also:Junker, the See also:German explorer. The exploration of the river See also:system above Nasser was carried out in the last See also:decade of the 19th See also:century by the See also:Italian explorer V. Bottego, by See also:Colonel (then See also:Captain) Marchand, of the See also:French See also:army, who, on his way from See also:Fashoda to See also:France, navigated the Baro up to the See also:foot of the mountains; and by Captain M. S. Wellby, Majors H. H. See also:Austin and R. G. T. See also:Bright, of the See also:British army, and others. By the agreement of the 15th of May 1902 between Great See also:Britain and Abyssinia the lower courses of the Pibor and Baro rivers to their point of confluence See also:form the frontier between the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and Abyssinia. See NILE, SUDAN and ABYSSINIA. (W, E. G. ; F. R. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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