Vioolsdrif

Vioolsdrif is a village on the Orange River in the north-western Namaqualand area of South Africa.

Origin of name

The name in Afrikaans means 'the ford (shallow river crossing) of the violin'. It is reportedly named after Jan Viool ("John Violin"), who is said to have played the fiddle in these parts in the nineteenth century. Some say he was a Nama man, who used to guide ox-wagons across the ford. An accomplished player, he would fiddle away merrily on the river bank while waiting for wagons to arrive. These claims await elaboration.

Geography

A road bridge here on the

Vioolsdrif has several campsites and motels for motorists passing through the border. Many tour operators have set up their base camps here for rafting tours on the Orange River.[3]

Climate

There are two seasons. The short winter season lasts from about May to July. Almost no rain falls and the weather is hot. The summer season lasts from August to April. It is very hot and rain is highly unlikely. Vioolsdrif is officially one of the hottest places in South Africa; on 27 October 2015 a maximum temperature of 47 °C (117 °F) was recorded.^[4][5] The mean annual temperature is 24 °C (76 °F) and temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are measured on an average of 220 days (60%) of the year. Daytime maximum temperatures above 43 °C (110 °F) and nighttime minimums of 27 °C (80 °F) are a regular weather phenomenon in summer.^[6]

References