User:Katuraabisai/Omatako River

Introduction
Omatako River also known as Omuramba Omatako is an underground river that runs from the centre of Namibia to the Okavango River on the Namibian-Angolan border. It is an ephemeral river, so it is almost always dry. The length of the Omatako is 635 kilometers from its source near the Omatako hills to its confluence at Ndonga. Its name is actually derived from the place where it originates, that is at the Omatako Mountains.

Background
The Omuramba Omatako is the main tributary of the Okavango River in Namibia. The catchment of the OmurambaOmatako includes the Grootfontein Karst Aquifer, one of the most productive aquifers in Namibia. The OmurambaOmatako is the only natural water source in the southern parts of the region. It is also Namibia's only river that runs in a northerly direction. The OmurambaOmatako near Okakarara has a distinct woodland / wetland characteristic. Particularly beautiful landscapes can be found along the OmurambaOmatako, especially when following its course from the Grootfontein area to its source. The land is very fertile and where the dunes sweep away from the river, often to a distance of four miles, excellent grazing for stock is to be found. The Omatako Omuramba has never been known to actually flow into the Okavango, but it potentially drains a substantial area (about 55 700 km2) and must have been a significant tributary in much wetter periods long ago.