| Vioolsdrif | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa#Africa |
| Coordinates: | -28.775°N 17.625°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Namakwa |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Nama Khoi |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.98 |
| Elevation M: | 180 |
| Population Total: | 599 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 18.3% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 75.0% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.7% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 4.2% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.8% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 88.4% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Tswana |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 4.0% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 2.2% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Sotho |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.7% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.6% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 8246 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 8246 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 027 |
Vioolsdrif is a village on the Orange River in the north-western Namaqualand area of South Africa.
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.
A road bridge here on the N7 national road links South Africa with Namibia and the town harbours the South African border post.[2] At the other end of the bridge is the small Namibian village of Noordoewer (meaning "north bank" in Afrikaans). The area is profoundly arid and the crossing is overlooked by steep and spectacular sandstone cliffs hundreds of metres in height.
In general, the surrounding region is almost unpopulated. There are small pockets of fertile alluvial soil along the course of the river and these are used for growing crops, such as dates and melons, under irrigation.
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]
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 was recorded.[4] [5] The mean annual temperature is 76F and temperatures above 86F are measured on an average of 220 days (60%) of the year. Daytime maximum temperatures above 110F and nighttime minimums of 80F are a regular weather phenomenon in summer.[6]