KOMATI, a river of south-eastern Africa. It rises at an ele vation of about 5,000 ft. in the Ermelo district of the Transvaal, II m. W. of the source of the Vaal, and flowing in a general N. and E. direction reaches the Indian ocean at Delagoa bay, after a course of some 500 miles. The river descends the Drakensberg by a pass 3o m. S. of Barberton, and at the eastern border of Swaziland is deflected northward, along the western side of the Lebombo mountains. Just W. of 32° E. and in 25° 25' S. it is joined by one of the many rivers of South Africa named Croco dile. A mile below the junction the united stream, which from this point is also known as the Manhissa, passes to the coastal plain through a cleft 626 ft. high in the Lebombo known as Komati Poort, where are some picturesque falls. At Komati Poort, which marks the frontier between British and Portuguese territory, the river is less than 6o m. from its mouth in a direct line, but in crossing the plain it makes a wide sweep of 200 m., first N. and then S., forming lagoon-like expanses and back-waters and receiving from the north several tributaries. In flood time there is a connection northward through the swamps with the basin of the Limpopo. The Komati enters the sea 15 m. N. of Lourenco Marques. It is navigable from its mouth, where the water is from 12 to 18 ft. deep, to the foot of the Lebombo.
KOMI (Kami) or ZIRIAN, autonomous area of the Russian S.F.S.R., a district created in 1921 stretching from the provinces of Archangel and Northern Dwina on the west to the Urals on the east. The Arctic ocean and the Kara sea lie on the north, and the Vyatka province on the south. It lies between 59° 30' N. and 70° N., and 46° E. and 66° E., thus much of it is north of the Arctic circle. The Great Land Tundra is a swampy district. The vegetation consists mainly of perennial lichens and mosses, with greatly developed root-systems, and stunted, matted, cushion like aerial systems. The leaves may be succulent, or leathery, stiff and needle-shaped, with a waxy or hairy surface. Winter is long and severe, and the temperature may drop to —50° F; in spring the blocks of ice from the warmer south are piled by the current on the unthawed ice below, and extensive floods are formed. From May to July, the sun never sets below the horizon,
and insects, especially mosquitoes flourish. In rare places of better drainage, where there is no perpetually frozen soil below, oases of brightly coloured blossoms, forget-me-nots, lupins, saxif rage, pedicularis and poppies may occur. During July and August the mid-day temperature may reach 70° F and crakeberries and cloudberries ripen. Cumulus clouds, heavy showers and driving mist may result from evaporation, the water of the north flowing streams being warmer than the air. By the end of August gales and snowstorms set in and by mid-September, the whole region is snow and ice covered. From November to February the sun does not rise above the horizon and tremendous blizzards, lasting for days, sweep the land. Dwarf willow-scrub occurs near the rivers and on sandy soil and provides fuel for the wandering Samoyedes and covert for the nests of the willow-grouse, Tem ming's stint, white fronted goose and red-throated pipit. Ducks and wading birds, stints, ruffs, grey plover and pharalope nest on the quaking treacherous moss bogs in summer, studded with islands of sphagnum—or lichen—covered driftwood brought down by the spring floods. The mammals of the tundra include rein deer, arctic fox and hare, wolf and ermine. The lemming is a vital link in the life-cycle of the tundra. Reindeer, both wild and domesticated, are the most important economic animals. The Komi and latterly some Russians, have learned reindeer breeding from the Samoyedes, who are entirely dependent on reindeer for food, clothing and shelter. The splayed hoofs of the reindeer support them on the snow and soft moss, and their broadly spatulate antlers enable them to push the snow aside in search of food. Reindeer breeders are compelled to be nomadic, for their herds are driven northwards in summer by the swarms of mosquitoes and by the need for snow. In 1926-7, the number of reindeer was about 400,00o, two thirds of them bred by Komi and the remain ing third by Samoyedes and Russians. In 1925 a veterinary sta tion for reindeer breeders was established at Izhma.