 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010) |
| Great Fish River | |
|---|---|
 The Great Fish River in the Eastern Cape in the Great Fish River Nature Reserve. | |
 | |
  Location of the Great Fish River mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Indian Ocean |
• location | Near Seafield |
• coordinates | 33°29′34″S 27°07′52″E / 33.49278°S 27.13111°E |
• elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Length | 730 km (450 mi) |
| Basin size | 30,366 km2 (11,724 sq mi) |
The Great Fish River (called great to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) (Afrikaans: Groot-Visrivier)[1] is a river running 644 kilometres (400 mi) through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish River mouth is known as the Sunshine Coast. The Great Fish River was originally named Rio do Infante, after João Infante, the captain of one of the caravels of Bartolomeu Dias. Infante visited the river in the late 1480s.[2]
The name Great Fish is a misnomer, since it is a translation of the Dutch Groot Visch Rivier, which was the name of a tributary in the vicinity of Cradock,[3] which at its confluence with the Little Fish (Klein Visch Rivier) forms what is properly called the (Eastern Cape) Fish River.
- ^ "Riviere van Suid-Afrika". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Raper, Peter Edmund (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Johannesburg: Human Science Research Council. (public domain)
- ^ Toit, Chris Marais and Julienne du (11 October 2023). "Cradock II: The Fish, the Show, the Ghosts & the Trekbokke". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 31 January 2024.