Hottentots Holland Mountains

Hottentots Holland Mountains
Hottentots Holland Mountains
	Hottentots Holland Mountains and Sir Lowry's Pass
Highest point
Peak	Somerset Sneeukop
Elevation	1,590 m (5,220 ft)
Coordinates	34°2′5.56″S18°59′6.53″E / 34.0348778°S 18.9851472°E
Geography
	Hottentots Holland Mountains
Country	South Africa
State	Western Cape
Region	Overberg

Last updated October 24, 2023

The Hottentots Holland Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast.

The range is primarily composed of Table Mountain Sandstone, and lies between the eastern Cape Town suburbs of Somerset West and Gordon's Bay to the west, and the Elgin valley to the east. Sir Lowry's Pass is the only crossing, in the form of the N2 motorway. The Steenbras Dam, one of Cape Town's main supply dams, is located in the Elgin valley south of the town of Grabouw due to the abundant rainfall normally experienced in the uplands of the catchment area.

Pass

The Gantouw (Eland Pass) ceased to be used by wagons on 6 July 1830, when the new Sir Lowry's Pass road was opened. Wagons of the Great Trek beginning 1835, did not actually use the old pass, instead they used the new road. When previous migrants decided to leave the Cape Town area, or Cape Colony as it was then known, this was the first mountain range they crossed. Cuts and wheel markings from their ox wagons can still be seen in rock formations of the old Gantouw pass which lies slightly north of the new Sir Lowry's Pass, and are a national monument.^[1] This route still serves as the primary route out of the Cape Town area for travellers heading east along the coast of South Africa.

Climate

The climate is typically Mediterranean; however, it is generally much cooler and more verdant than other areas in the Western Cape, with annual precipitation exceeding 1500 mm (as high as 3300 mm on the Dwarsberg plateau^[2]) and summer temperature maxima rarely exceeding 25 °C. Snow is not unusual on the higher peaks, like Verkykerkop, Somerset Sneeukop (Afrikaans : Snow Peak) at 1590 m high and The Triplets in the northern section of the range. This area and the other ranges to the south are considered the hub of the Cape floristic region with the most biodiversity in the entire fynbos biome. The surrounding lowlands have rich alluvial soils supporting viticulture and other deciduous fruit farms.

Peaks

Haelkop: 1,384m
Somerset-Sneeukop: 1,590m
Landrosnaald 1,346m
Pisgah 1,349m
Sneeukopnaald 1285m
Landroskop1435m

Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve

The Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve is a World Heritage Site with an area of 70 000 hectares from Elgin to north of Villiersdorp, between the Stellenbosch Mountains and the Groenland mountains.^[2] The reserve functions as a conservation area for mountain fynbos, with about 1 300 plant species, of which some are rare and endemic. About 110 species of bird have been recorded, and a variety of indigenous animals, some of which have been reintroduced.^[1]

Altitude in the reserve varies from 500 m to 1 59 0m. Weather conditions can be unpredictable, and bad weather can make conditions dangerous. The entrance to the reserve is at Nuweberg, in Viljoen's Pass (R321) between Villiersdorp and Grabouw. An additional 7 000 hectares of state and privale land adjacent to the reserve is co-managed by the Theewaterskloof Conservancy, which includes CapeNature and private landowners.^[2]^[1]

Related Research Articles

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Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east. The boundaries of the Overberg are the Hottentots-Holland mountains in the West; the Riviersonderend Mountains, part of the Cape Fold Belt, in the North; the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the South and the Breede River in the East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theewaterskloof Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Theewaterskloof Municipality is a local municipality located within the Overberg District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2007, the population was 108,790. Its municipality code is WC031. The enormous Theewaterskloof Dam, which provides water for Cape Town and the surrounding areas, is located in this municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset West</span> Town in the Western Cape, South Africa

Somerset West is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality as a suburb of the Helderberg region . The vehicle registration code for Somerset West is CFM and the post code is 7130 for street addresses, and 7129 for post office boxes.

Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.

Elgin is a large, lush area of land, circled by mountains, in the Overberg region of South Africa. This broad upland valley lies about 70 km southeast of Cape Town, just beyond the Hottentots Holland Mountains.

The Volunteer Wildfire Services is a group of volunteers in Cape Town, South Africa who assist local fire fighting agencies to suppress wildfires. Affiliated to the Table Mountain National Park, the VWS is the only unit of its kind in South Africa.

Grabouw is a town located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Grabouw is located some 65 km south-east of Cape Town, over Sir Lowry's Pass from Somerset West, along the N2 highway.The town is the commercial centre for the vast Elgin Valley, the largest single export fruit-producing area in Southern Africa, which extends between the Hottentots-Holland, Kogelberg, Groenland, and Houwhoek Mountains. The town's population has grown rapidly, with 44 593 people in 2019 from 21 593 as listed by the 2001 census.

The Kogelberg is a range of mountains along the False Bay coast in the Western Cape of South Africa. They form part of the Cape Fold Belt, starting south of the Elgin valley and forming a steep coastal range as far as Kleinmond.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Lowry's Pass</span> Mountain pass in Western Cape, South Africa

Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots Holland Mountains between Somerset West and the Elgin valley, on the main route between Cape Town and the Garden Route. A railway line also crosses the mountain range near this point.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theewaterskloof Dam</span> Dam in Western Cape, South Africa

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Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos is a critically endangered vegetation type occurring in the far south of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Helderberg Nature Reserve is a 398-hectare (980-acre) nature reserve in Somerset West, South Africa.

Kogelberg Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of 3,000 ha comprising the Kogelberg Mountain Range, to the east of Cape Town, South Africa.

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Stellenbosch Mountain is a mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The mountain forms part of the Coetsenburg Estate, the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve and the larger Hottentots-Holland Mountains Catchment Area.

References

1 2 3 "Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve" (PDF). www.capenature.co.za. CapeNature. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
1 2 3 "Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve". www.capenature.co.za. Retrieved 6 June 2022.

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[HHNR_brochure-1] 1 2 3 "Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve" (PDF). www.capenature.co.za. CapeNature. Retrieved 6 June 2022.

[Cape_Nature-2] 1 2 3 "Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve". www.capenature.co.za. Retrieved 6 June 2022.

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