Outeniqua Mountains

Outeniqua
Mountain Range
Outeniqua Mountains north of George
Country	South Africa
State	Western Cape
District	Eden District Municipality

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.

Nomenclature

Outeniqua is said to be derived from a Khoisan tribe that once lived in these mountains and means "they who bear honey"."^[1] Rock paintings from the Khoisan people can still be found in the area.^[1]

Geography

The range is characterized by gentle southern sleeps and steep drops on the north side down to the low valley Little Karoo.^[2] 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 George. 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.

Weather

While the climate along the range is generally hot to moderate, with an average summer temperature of 20.5 °C^{[citation needed]}, 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 Cronje 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.

Fauna and flora

Among the animals found in the Outeniqua range are klipspringer, grey rhebuck, leopard and various rodents.^[1] Birds include black eagles and other raptors as well as the Cape sugarbird and other fynbos birds.^[1]

See also

Nature's Valley

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Jobless youth finds new hope in conservation program". 2005-01-10. http://www.youthportal.org.za/ur/Lindani_Markeni_final.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
2. ^ Section source: "Birdlife IBA factsheet". http://www.birdlife.info/wbdbwebstaging/SitHarnessDetails.asp?sid=7166&m=0. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 

Coordinates: 33°45′S 23°00′E / 33.75°S 23°E / -33.75; 23