Outeniqua Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Outeniqua Mountains are a mountain range located in the Western Cape
of South Africa
. They run in a north-easterly direction from the George
area.
tribe that once lived in these mountains and means "they who bear honey"." Rock paintings from the Khoisan
people can still be found in the area.
. The variant conditions create diverse habits. On the south-facing slopes there is montane fynbos
in higher, moister altitudes, while the north hosts karroid and renosterveld shrubland. On the mesic
southern slopes there are Afromontane
gallery forests.
scheduled flight home from Johannesburg
to George, Western Cape
was grounded so he hitched a ride as the only passenger on board a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprop aircraft. Near George airport, the pilots lost visibility in clouds and were unable to land, partly due to unusable navigational equipment. While circling, the plane crashed into the Outeniqua mountains northeast of the airport. Cronje, aged 32, and the two pilots were killed instantly.
, grey rhebuck, leopard
and various rodents. Birds include black eagles and other raptors
as well as the Cape sugarbird
and other fynbos
birds.
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...
. They run in a north-easterly direction from the George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
area.
Nomenclature
Outeniqua is said to be derived from a KhoisanKhoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
tribe that once lived in these mountains and means "they who bear honey"." Rock paintings from the Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
people can still be found in the area.
Geography
The range is characterized by gentle southern sleeps and steep drops on the north side down to the low valley Little Karoo. High points include Formosa Peak at 1675 m, roughly 45 km north-east of Plettenberg Bay and Cradock's Mountain at 1578 m, located to the north of GeorgeGeorge, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
. The variant conditions create diverse habits. On the south-facing slopes there is montane fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
in higher, moister altitudes, while the north hosts karroid and renosterveld shrubland. On the mesic
Mesic
Mesic may refer to:* Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States* Mesic habitat, a type of habitat...
southern slopes there are Afromontane
Knysna-Amatole montane forests
The Knysna-Amatole montane forests ecoregion, of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, is in South Africa. It covers an Afromontane area of in South Africa's Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces.-Setting:...
gallery forests.
Weather
While the climate along the range is generally hot to moderate, with an average summer temperature of 20.5 °C, weather conditions can vary greatly. In winter the temperature can drop to 5 °C (and even lower on the southern slopes) and snowfalls may occur on the higher peaks.History
On 1 June 2002, Former South Africa Cricket captain Hansie CronjeHansie Cronje
Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje was a South African cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s...
scheduled flight home from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to George, Western Cape
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
was grounded so he hitched a ride as the only passenger on board a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprop aircraft. Near George airport, the pilots lost visibility in clouds and were unable to land, partly due to unusable navigational equipment. While circling, the plane crashed into the Outeniqua mountains northeast of the airport. Cronje, aged 32, and the two pilots were killed instantly.
Fauna and flora
Among the animals found in the Outeniqua range are klipspringerKlipspringer
The Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus, is a small species of African antelope.-Name:The word klipspringer literally means "rock jumper" in Afrikaans/Dutch...
, grey rhebuck, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
and various rodents. Birds include black eagles and other raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
as well as the Cape sugarbird
Cape Sugarbird
The Cape Sugarbird, Promerops cafer, is one of the six bird species endemic to the Fynbos biome of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.-Description:...
and other fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
birds.