Table Mountain National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Table Mountain National Park
iucn_category = II


caption = Map of South Africa
locator_x = 43
locator_y = 261
location = Western Cape, South Africa
nearest_city = Cape Town, South Africa
lat_degrees = 33
lat_minutes = 58
lat_seconds = 00
lat_direction = S
long_degrees = 18
long_minutes = 25
long_seconds = 30
long_direction = E
area = 221 km²
established = May 29, 1998
governing_body = South African National Parks
motto = A Park for All, Forever

:"For information about the 2006 fire that occurred here, please see 2006 Table Mountain fire"

Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998 for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The park is managed by South African National Parks.

The park contains two well-known landmarks: Table Mountain, for which the park is named; and the Cape of Good Hope, the southwesternmost extremity of Africa.

Geography

The park runs approximately north-south along the range of mountains that make up the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula, from Signal Hill in the north, through Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Constantiaberg, Silvermine, the mountains of the southern Peninsula, terminating at Cape Point.

The park is not a single contiguous area; the undeveloped mountainous areas which make up most of the park are separated by developed urban areas on shallower terrain. Thus the park is divided into three separate sections, as listed below.

Table Mountain section

This section covers Signal Hill, Lion's Head, Table Mountain proper, including the Back Table (the rear, lower part of the mountain), Devil's Peak, the Twelve Apostles (actually a series of seventeen peaks along the Atlantic seaboard), and Orange Kloof (a specially protected area not open to the public). It borders on central Cape Town in the north, Camps Bay and the Atlantic coast in the west, the Southern Suburbs in the east, and Hout Bay in the south.

This section was formed from the Table Mountain National Monument, the Cecilia State Forest, and Newlands Forest. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is not officially part of the national park, but its higher reaches are maintained as part of the park.

ilvermine-Tokai section

This section runs northwest-southeast across the Peninsula from the Atlantic seaboard to the False Bay coast. It covers Constantiaberg, Steenberg Peak and the Kalk Bay mountains. It borders on Hout Bay in the north-west, the suburbs of Constantia and Tokai in the north-east, Kalk Bay in the south-east, and Fish Hoek and Noordhoek in the south-west.

This section was formed from the Tokai State Forest and the Silvermine Nature Reserve.

Cape Point section

This section covers the southernmost area of the Cape Peninsula, stretching from Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope in the south, as far north as Scarborough on the Atlantic coast and Simon's Town on the False Bay coast. It was formed from the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Tourist attractions

* The Table Mountain Cableway carries visitors from the Lower Cable Station on Kloof Nek Road to the top of Table Mountain, allowing visitors to avoid the fairly arduous walk up.
* Boulders Beach, south of Simon's Town, contains a large colony of African Penguins.
* Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope are very scenic, although they are neither the southernmost tip of Africa nor the meeting-place of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as is often believed.

Controversy

The Table Mountain National Park has been criticized for removing the urban forests consisting of non-indigenous trees. These forests only make up 2% of the park, but are important recreational areas for people in living Cape Town Metropolitan area. [http://www.coolforest.org.za/] [http://www.carteblanche.co.za/Display/Display.asp?Id=3165]

ee also

* Cape Town
* Protected areas of South Africa
* Table Mountain
* Cape Peninsula
* Cape Point
* Cape of Good Hope

References

* McNeely, Jeffrey A., 2001, "Globally significant biodiversity within city limits: the case of South Africa’s Cape", [http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/pubs/pdfs/PARKS/Parks11.3.pdf "Parks", vol. 11 no. 3] , pp. 44-46. Retrieved on January 18, 2006.
* 2000, South African National Map Series 1:50 000 Topographical Sheets "3318CD Cape Town" and "3418AB&AD Cape Peninsula". Published by [http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/ Chief Directorate: Surveys & Mapping] .
* [http://www.tmnp.co.za/ Table Mountain National Park] . Retrieved on January 18, 2006.
* [http://www.coolforest.org.za/ Cool Forests of Cape Town] . Retrieved on 13 October, 2006.
*http://www.carteblanche.co.za/Display/Display.asp?Id=3165 No compromise on pines. "Carte Blanche" report on the loss of recreational non-indigenous forests. Retrieved on 14 October, 2006.

External links

* [http://www.tmnp.co.za/ TMNP official website]