South African waters, found on the map
Explore seven rivers, three dams, a bay and the two oceans that meet off the Cape.
13 to find, 8 a run.
2 rounds, 6 of 8 to pass each. Pass one and its places are yours.
Every one on the map
Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.
Lakes3
- Gariep Dam
- Vaal Dam
- Vanderkloof Dam
Rivers7
- Caledon River
- Great Kei River
- Limpopo River
- Olifants River
- Orange River
- Tugela River
- Vaal River
Seas and oceans3
- Atlantic Ocean
- Indian Ocean
- St Helena Bay
What the map tells you about each one
The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.
- Orange River
- The Orange is the longest river in South Africa, rising in the Lesotho highlands. Its lower course forms the border with Namibia.
- Vaal River
- The Vaal marks much of the border between Free State and the provinces to its north. The old Boer republic across it was called the Transvaal, beyond the Vaal.
- Limpopo River
- The Limpopo curves around the north of the country before crossing Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. Rudyard Kipling called it great grey-green and greasy.
- Tugela River
- The Tugela begins at Tugela Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the world. It was the southern border of the Zulu kingdom in the 1800s.
- Caledon River
- The Caledon, Mohokare in Sesotho, divides the Free State from Lesotho. Its fertile valley was fought over by Boers and Basotho in the 1860s.
- Great Kei River
- The Great Kei was long the frontier between the Cape Colony and the independent Xhosa lands. The Transkei homeland took its name from the land beyond it.
- Olifants River
- This Olifants, named for the elephants early settlers saw on its banks, waters citrus farms around Citrusdal and Clanwilliam. Another Olifants River runs through the Kruger.
- Gariep Dam
- Gariep Dam holds more water than any other reservoir in South Africa. Gariep is the Khoekhoe name for the Orange River.
- Vanderkloof Dam
- Vanderkloof Dam has the highest wall of any dam in the country, 108 meters. Together with Gariep it feeds the long canals of the Orange River scheme.
- Vaal Dam
- Vaal Dam supplies much of the water for Gauteng, topped up by tunnels bringing water from the Lesotho highlands.
- St Helena Bay
- St Helena Bay sits on the cold Benguela Current, whose upwelling feeds one of the richest fisheries in the world. Vasco da Gama anchored here in 1497.
- Atlantic Ocean
- The Benguela system brings cold water and coastal upwelling along the Atlantic side of southern Africa. Nutrient-rich waters support productive fisheries.
- Indian Ocean
- The warm Agulhas Current flows south along the Indian Ocean coast. The seasonal sardine run follows cooler coastal waters towards KwaZulu-Natal, attracting marine predators.
How this one works
How many waters are on the map?
13. Every one of them is on the map, and a run asks 8 of them. Pass a round and the places you found in it drop out of the pool, so the next run is what you have left.
What is a round?
A run of 8 questions, and 6 right passes it. 2 rounds cover the whole map, and the counter at the top of the South Africa page counts the ones behind you. Passing is what banks a round's finds: miss the mark and nothing is taken off the map, so every place that round asked about is still there to be asked again. A round is always the places you have not found yet, and when fewer than five are left it is topped up with a few you have found as review, so the last round is never one or two questions. Three quarters of it passes it.
Can I start the map over?
Yes. "Reset this map" under the counter puts all 13 back in the pool and sets the rounds to zero the moment you press it, so the whole map is there to be found again from nothing. It clears this map only; the other maps of South Africa keep their progress.
Do I need an account?
No. The game plays in the page, and a guest's progress is kept in their own browser. Signing in carries it between devices and earns XP for a run.
What happens when I get one wrong?
The map names what you actually hit, then lights up the right answer in green and tells you something about the place. Missing one is how most of this map gets learned.
The other maps of South Africa
Afghanistan has the same map in Rivers of Afghanistan. Algeria has the same map in Rivers, salt lake and sea. Argentina has the same map in Argentine rivers, lakes and Atlantic waters. Armenia has the same map in River and lake of Armenia. Australia has the same map in Australian waters. Austria has the same map in Austrian lakes and rivers. Azerbaijan has the same map in Rivers, reservoir and sea of Azerbaijan. Bahamas has the same map in Bahamian channels and Atlantic waters. Bangladesh has the same map in Bangladeshi rivers, lake and sea. Belgium has the same map in Belgian rivers and coast. Bhutan has the same map in Rivers of Bhutan. Bolivia has the same map in Bolivian rivers and Lake Titicaca. Bosnia and Herzegovina has the same map in Six rivers. Brazil has the same map in Brazilian waters. Bulgaria has the same map in Bulgarian rivers and sea. Cambodia has the same map in Cambodia’s rivers and lake. Canada has the same map in Canadian waters. Chile has the same map in Chilean rivers, lakes and coastal waters. China has the same map in Chinese waters. Colombia has the same map in Colombian rivers and coastal waters. Costa Rica has the same map in Costa Rican lakes, rivers and seas. Cuba has the same map in Cuban river and surrounding waters. Czechia has the same map in Czech rivers and reservoirs. Denmark has the same map in Danish waters. Dominican Republic has the same map in Dominican river, lake and coastal waters. Ecuador has the same map in Ecuadorian rivers and coastal waters. Egypt has the same map in Egyptian waters. El Salvador has the same map in Salvadoran lakes, rivers and coast. Ethiopia has the same map in Rivers and lakes of Ethiopia. Finland has the same map in Finnish lakes. France has the same map in French waters. Georgia has the same map in Rivers, lake and sea of Georgia. Germany has the same map in German waters. Ghana has the same map in Ghanaian waters. Greece has the same map in Greek rivers, lakes and seas. Guatemala has the same map in Guatemalan lakes, rivers and seas. Guyana has the same map in Guyanese rivers and Atlantic waters. Honduras has the same map in Honduran lakes, rivers and seas. Hungary has the same map in Hungarian lakes and rivers. Iceland has the same map in Icelandic waters. India has the same map in Indian waters. Indonesia has the same map in Indonesian rivers, lake and seas. Iran has the same map in Iranian waters. Iraq has the same map in Rivers and lakes of Iraq. Ireland has the same map in Irish lakes and rivers. Israel has the same map in Lakes and river of the Jordan basin. Italy has the same map in Italian waters. Jamaica has the same map in Jamaican rivers and the Caribbean. Japan has the same map in Japanese waters. Jordan has the same map in River, lake and gulf of Jordan. Kazakhstan has the same map in Kazakhstan’s rivers, lakes and sea. Kenya has the same map in Kenyan waters. Kyrgyzstan has the same map in Issyk-Kul and Toktogul. Laos has the same map in Laos’s rivers. Lebanon has the same map in River and sea of Lebanon. Libya has the same map in Seas and desert lakes of Libya. Madagascar has the same map in Malagasy rivers, lake and seas. Malaysia has the same map in Malaysia’s rivers and seas. Malta has the same map in Bays, channels and Mediterranean. Mexico has the same map in Mexican waters. Moldova has the same map in Moldovan rivers. Mongolia has the same map in Mongolian rivers and lakes. Morocco has the same map in Rivers and surrounding seas. Myanmar has the same map in Myanmar’s rivers and seas. Namibia has the same map in Namibian rivers and the Atlantic. Nepal has the same map in Nepali rivers and lakes. Netherlands has the same map in Dutch rivers, lake and sea. New Zealand has the same map in New Zealand waters. Nicaragua has the same map in Nicaraguan lakes, rivers and seas. Nigeria has the same map in Rivers, lakes and coastal waters of Nigeria. North Korea has the same map in North Korean rivers and seas. Norway has the same map in Norwegian waters. Oman has the same map in Oman’s coastal waters. Pakistan has the same map in Pakistan’s rivers, reservoir and sea. Palestine has the same map in River, lake and Mediterranean coast. Panama has the same map in Panamanian canal, lake and seas. Paraguay has the same map in Paraguayan rivers and Itaipú. Peru has the same map in Peruvian rivers, lake and ocean. Philippines has the same map in Philippine rivers, lakes and seas. Poland has the same map in Polish rivers and lakes. Portugal has the same map in Portuguese waters. Romania has the same map in Romanian rivers and sea. Russia has the same map in Russian rivers and lakes. Saudi Arabia has the same map in Saudi coastal waters. Senegal has the same map in Senegalese waters. Singapore has the same map in Straits and seas. South Korea has the same map in South Korean waters. Spain has the same map in Spanish waters. Sri Lanka has the same map in Waters of Sri Lanka. Sudan has the same map in Rivers, reservoir and sea of Sudan. Suriname has the same map in Surinamese rivers, reservoir and Atlantic. Sweden has the same map in Swedish waters. Switzerland has the same map in Swiss lakes and rivers. Syria has the same map in River, reservoir and sea of Syria. Taiwan has the same map in Taiwanese rivers, lake and surrounding seas. Tajikistan has the same map in Rivers and a reservoir of Tajikistan. Tanzania has the same map in Tanzanian lakes and the Indian Ocean. Thailand has the same map in Thai rivers and seas. Tunisia has the same map in Tunisian waters and the Mediterranean. Türkiye has the same map in Turkish waters. Turkmenistan has the same map in Rivers and a lake of Turkmenistan. Ukraine has the same map in Ukrainian rivers and seas. United Arab Emirates has the same map in The UAE’s coastal waters. United Kingdom has the same map in British waters. United States has the same map in American waters. Uruguay has the same map in Uruguayan rivers, lagoon and coastal waters. Uzbekistan has the same map in Rivers and lakes of Uzbekistan. Venezuela has the same map in Venezuelan rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Vietnam has the same map in Vietnamese rivers and seas. Yemen has the same map in Yemen’s coastal waters. All three together on the South Africa atlas page, the country itself on the South Africa guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.