All Topics  
Tekezé River

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Tekezé River
 
 
  Topics Tekezé River Topic Home

The Tekezé River is a major river of Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea
Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the Country of Eritrea, is a country in Northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast....
 for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the Tekezé River is 608 kilometers long. The canyon
Canyon

A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level....
 which it has created is the deepest in Africa and one of the deepest in the world, at some points having a depth of over 2000 meters deep.

The Tekezé River rises in the central highlands of Ethiopia near Mount Qachen, from where it flows west, north, then west again, forming the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Tekezé River'
Start a new discussion about 'Tekezé River'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Tekezé River is a major river of Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea
Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the Country of Eritrea, is a country in Northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast....
 for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, the Tekezé River is 608 kilometers long. The canyon
Canyon

A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level....
 which it has created is the deepest in Africa and one of the deepest in the world, at some points having a depth of over 2000 meters deep.

The Tekezé River rises in the central highlands of Ethiopia near Mount Qachen, from where it flows west, north, then west again, forming the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The river continues into northeastern Sudan, where at 14° 10' N, 36° E, the Tekezé joins the Atbarah River
Atbarah River

The Atbarah River in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, approximately 50 km north of Lake Tana and 30 km west of Gondar. It flows about 805 km to the Nile in north-central Sudan, joining it at the city of Atbarah ....
, the lower course of which is a tributary
Tributary

A tributary is a stream or river which flows into a Mainstem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body of water....
 of the Nile. The Tekezé is perhaps the true upper course of the Atbarah, as the former follows the longer course prior to the confluence
Confluence (geography)

Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where a tributary joins a more major river, called the mainstem , when that major river is also the highest Strahler Stream Order in the drainage basin....
 of the two rivers.

The names of its main tributaries in Ethiopia from its source are: on the right bank Tahali, Meri, Sellare, Sullo, Arekwa, Gheoa, Wari, Firafira, Tocoro and Gumalo Rivers; on the left bank Nili, Balagas, Saha, Bembea, Ataba, Zarima, and Kwalema Rivers.

History

The earliest known mention of the Tekezé is in an inscription from Axum
Axum

Axum, or Aksum, is a city in northern Ethiopia named after the Kingdom of Aksum, a naval and trading power that ruled from the region ca....
 of king Ezana of Axum
Ezana of Axum

Ezana of Axum , was ruler of the Axumite Kingdom located in present-day in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, southern Saudi Arabia, northern Somalia, Djibouti, northern Sudan, and southern Egypt; he himself employed the style "king of Sabaeans and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan."....
, where he boasts of a victory in a battle on its lower banks, near "the ford of Kemalke". The Tekezé served as an early link between Ethiopia and Egypt; for example, the Kebra Nagast
Kebra Nagast

The Kebra Nagast , or the Book of the Glory of Kings, is an account written in Ge'ez of the origins of the Solomonic dynasty of the Emperor of Ethiopia of Ethiopia....
, which received its current form in the 13th century, states that king Menelik I
Menelik I

Menelik I , first Jewish Emperor of Ethiopia, is traditionally believed to be the son of Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, Queen of Sheba and ruled around 950 BC, according to traditional sources....
 returned to Ethiopia by following this river (ch. 53).

The Ethiopian government announced in July, 2002, that they had formed a partnership with the China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Corporation to construct a hydroelectric dam on the Tekezé, which would generate 225 megawatts of electricity. The project would cost US$ 224 million, and take five years to complete. Oweys Ibrahim, the project coordinator, announced 12 December 2007 that construction was 82% complete, and included a 105-kilometer power line to Mekele.

The Tekeze Hydro Electric project aims to construct the Highest double curve arch dam in Africa, topping the current highest, Lesotho. The contractors beind the project are CWGS and completion is estimated to be in 2009.

See also

  • List of Eritrean rivers
  • List of Ethiopian rivers
  • List of rivers of Sudan
    List of rivers of Sudan

    This is a list of streams and rivers in Sudan...


External links

  • - Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas at Austin
    University of Texas at Austin

    The University of Texas at Austin is a public university research university located in Austin, Texas, Texas, United States, and is the flagship#University campuses institution of University of Texas System....