Keurboomstrand, Western Cape
Encyclopedia
Keurboomstrand is a resort town near Plettenberg Bay
on the Western Cape
of South Africa
. It takes its name from the indigenous
keurboom
tree which grows in the region. The Keurbooms River runs nearby.
dating back to the Neolithic
period 11,000 years ago and is a National Monument. The shell middens at the site is one of the largest in the world being 10 metres high, 15 metres wide and 30 metres long, but have been degraded
Portuguese explorers from the Silo Goncalo were ship-wrecked nearby in 1630 for eight months which was the first European settlement in South Africa.
Plettenberg Bay
Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29149 population...
on the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It takes its name from the indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
keurboom
Virgilia (genus)
Virgilia is a genus of Southern African trees in the family Fabaceae, having shiny to hairy pinnate leaves and attractive mauve to pink pea-shaped flowers followed by leathery pods...
tree which grows in the region. The Keurbooms River runs nearby.
History
The Matjies River Rock Shelter nearby contains artefacts from the BushmenBushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
dating back to the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period 11,000 years ago and is a National Monument. The shell middens at the site is one of the largest in the world being 10 metres high, 15 metres wide and 30 metres long, but have been degraded
Portuguese explorers from the Silo Goncalo were ship-wrecked nearby in 1630 for eight months which was the first European settlement in South Africa.