Overberg

This article is about the region in South Africa. For other meanings, see Overberg (disambiguation)

Typical summer (dry season) Overberg landscape with the Babilonstoring Mountains beyond between Caledon and Bot River

Overberg in the early spring with canola fields in the foreground and Riviersonderend Mountains in the background

Overberg is a district in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the 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.

The area has always been considered as the breadbasket of the Cape and is largely given to grain farming — mainly wheat. The wheat fields are a major breeding ground for South Africa's national bird, the Blue Crane. Another important food farmed in the Overberg is fruit with the Elgin Valley being the second largest supplier of fruit in South Africa.

Nestled in the Overberg, one can find the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (recognised and registered with UNESCO) populated with a large diversity of flowering plants not found anywhere else in the fynbos biome.

The major towns are Hermanus, Caledon and Swellendam and the region includes Cape Agulhas, the southermost point of Africa. The landscape is dominated by gently to moderately undulating hills enclosed by mountains and the ocean.

The name, derived from Over 't Berg, means "over the (Hottentots-Holland) mountain" and is a reference to the region's location relative to Cape Town.^[1]

Overberg gallery

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Note

1. ^ Raper, P.E. (2004). South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town. p. 296. ISBN 1-86842-190-2. 

See also

Overberg District Municipality, shown in red, encompasses the southern Western Cape

• Swellendam, Western Cape once the capital of the Overberg.
• Struisbaai, Western Cape
• Overberg District Municipality
• Overberg Test Range (rocket launch site)
• List of towns in the Overberg
• Greyton

External links

Maps

• Google Earth view of the Overberg Region
• Maps of Overberg Region, Towns and Trails
• Map of Overberg region

Portals

• The Overberg
• Overberg South Africa
• Electronic Gateway to the Overberg
• Overberg Business Directory
• Comprehensive Overberg information
• Information and Property Portal for Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay and Rooi-Els in the coastal Overberg