View source for Drakensberg

{{Short description|Mountain range in South Africa}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox mountain
<!-- *** Heading *** -->| name = Drakensberg
| native_name = {{native name list |tag1=st|name1=Maloti |tag2=zu|name2=uKhahlamba}}
<!-- *** Names **** -->| etymology = Dragon's Mountain
<!-- *** Image *** -->| photo = South Africa - Drakensberg (16261357780).jpg
| photo_caption = <!-- *** Country *** -->
| country = {{hlist|[[South Africa]]|[[Lesotho]]|}}
<!-- *** Locations *** -->| highest = [[Thabana Ntlenyana]]
| elevation_m = 3482
| coordinates = {{coord|29|23|S|29|27|E|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
<!-- *** Dimensions *** -->| length_km = 1000
| length_orientation = SW to NE
| length_ref = 
| width_km = 
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| range_coordinates = 
| range_coordinates_ref = <!-- *** Features *** -->
| geology = {{hlist|Basalt|Quartzite}}
| orogeny = <!-- *** Maps *** -->
| map = 
| map_caption = 
}}

The '''Drakensberg''' ([[Zulu language|Zulu]]: uKhahlamba, [[Sotho language|Sotho]]: Maloti, [[Afrikaans]]: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]], which encloses the central [[South Africa#Geography|Southern African]] plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – {{convert|2000|to|3482|m|ft|abbr=off}} within the border region of [[South Africa]] and [[Lesotho]].

[[File:The Escarpment and the Drakensberg.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A map of South Africa shows the central plateau edged by the Great Escarpment and its relationship to the [[Cape Fold Mountains]] to the south. The portion of the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]] shown in red is known as the Drakensberg.]]

The Drakensberg escarpment stretches for more than {{convert|1000|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} from the [[Eastern Cape|Eastern Cape Province]] in the South, then successively forms, in order from south to north, the border between [[Lesotho]] and the [[Eastern Cape]] and the border between Lesotho and [[KwaZulu-Natal|KwaZulu-Natal Province]]. Thereafter it forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the [[Free State (South African province)|Free State]], and next as the border between KwaZulu-Natal and [[Mpumalanga|Mpumalanga Province]]. The escarpment winds north from there, through [[Mpumalanga]], where it includes features such as the [[Blyde River Canyon]], [[Three Rondavels]], and [[God's Window]]. It then extends farther north to [[Hoedspruit]] in southeastern [[Limpopo]] where it is known as 'Klein Drakensberg' by the [[Afrikaner]]. From Hoedspruit it extends west to [[Tzaneen]], also in [[Limpopo|Limpopo Province]], where it is known as the [[Wolkberg]] [[Mountains]] and Iron Crown Mountain. At {{convert|2200|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, the Wolkberg is the highest elevation in Limpopo. The escarpment extends west again and at [[Mokopane]] it is known as the Strydpoort Mountains.<ref name= "Atlas">{{cite book|title=Reader's Digest Atlas of Southern Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LJPctAEACAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Reader's Digest Association South Africa|pages=13, 190–192|location=Cape Town}}</ref><ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1975); ''Micropaedia'' Vol. III, p. 655. Helen Hemingway Benton Publishers, Chicago.</ref>

== Etymology ==

The [[Afrikaans]] name ''Drakensberge'' comes from the name the earliest [[Dutch people|Dutch]] settlers gave to the escarpment, namely ''Drakensbergen'', or ''Dragons' Mountains''. The highest portion of the Great Escarpment is known in [[Zulu language|Zulu]] as ''uKhahlamba'' and as ''Maloti'' in [[Sotho language|Sotho]] ("Barrier of up-pointed spears").<ref name=Pearse>{{cite book|last=Pearse|first=Reg O.|title=Barrier of Spears: Drama of the Drakensberg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ri6KQgAACAAJ|year=1973|publisher=H. Timmins|isbn=978-0-86978-050-3|page=i}}</ref>

== Geology==
===Origins===
{{Further|Great Escarpment, Southern Africa}}
The Great Escarpment is composed of steep [[rift valley]] walls formed around a bulging of continental crust during the breakup of southern [[Gondwana]] that have since eroded inland from their original positions near the southern African coast, and its entire eastern portion (see the accompanying map) constitutes the Drakensberg.<ref name="Atlas" /><ref>{{cite book|title=The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KtBxcgAACAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Times Books|location=London|page=90|isbn = 9780007419135}}</ref><ref name=mccarthy>{{cite book|last1=McCarthy|first1=Terence|last2=Rubidge|first2=Bruce|title=The Story of Earth & Life: A Southern Africa Perspective on a 4.6 Billion-year Journey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEa9tNO2qOcC|year=2005|publisher=Penguin Random House South Africa|isbn=978-1-77007-148-3|pages=16–7, 192–195, 245–248, 263, 267–269|location=Cape Town}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Drakensberg terminate in the north near Tzaneen at about the 22°&nbsp;S parallel. The absence of the Great Escarpment for approximately {{convert|450|km|abbr=on}} to the north of Tzaneen (to reappear on the border between [[Zimbabwe]] and [[Mozambique]] in the [[Chimanimani Mountains]]) is due to a failed westerly branch of the main rift that caused [[Antarctica]] to start drifting away from southern Africa during the breakup of Gondwana about 150&nbsp;million years ago. The lower [[Limpopo River]] and [[Save River (Africa)|Save River]] drain into the [[Indian Ocean]] through what remains of this relict incipient rift valley, which now forms part of the South African [[Veld#Highveld and Lowveld|Lowveld]].<ref name=mccarthy />

During the past 20&nbsp;million years, southern Africa has experienced massive uplifting, especially in the east, with the result that most of the plateau lies above {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} despite extensive erosion. The plateau is tilted such that it is highest in the east and slopes gently downward toward the west and south. Typically, the elevation of the edge of the eastern escarpments is in excess of {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It reaches its highest point of over {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}} where the escarpment forms part of the international border between [[Lesotho]] and the South African province of [[KwaZulu-Natal]].<ref name="Atlas" /><ref name=mccarthy />

=== Appearance ===

[[File:SW-NE geological cross section through South Africa.jpg|thumb|upright=2|This approximate SW-NE cross section through South Africa with the [[Cape Peninsula]] (with [[Table Mountain]]) on the far left, and north-eastern [[KwaZulu-Natal]] on the right, is diagrammatic and only roughly to scale. It shows how the '''Drakensberg Escarpment''' is related to the major geographical features that dominate the southern and eastern parts of the country, particularly the Central Plateau, whose southwestern edge (in the diagram) is called the Roggeberg escarpment (not labelled). The major geological layers that shape this geography are indicated in different colors whose significance and origin are explained under the headings "[[Karoo Supergroup]]" and "[[Cape Fold Belt|Cape Supergroup]]". The 1600 m thick layer of hard, erosion-resistant basalt (lava) that accounts for the height and steepness of the Drakensberg Escarpment on the KwaZuluNatal-Lesotho border is indicated in blue. Immediately below it is the [[Karoo Supergroup#Stormberg group|Stormberg Group]] shown in green. The Clarence Formation with its numerous caves and [[San rock art|San rock paintings]], forms part of this latter group.]]
The escarpment seen from below resembles a range of mountains. The Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Lesotho Drakensberg have hard erosion-resistant upper surfaces and therefore have a very rugged appearance, combining steep-sided blocks and pinnacles (giving rise to the Zulu name "Barrier of up-pointed spears"). Who first gave these mountains their Afrikaans or Dutch name ''Drakensberg'', and why, is unknown.<ref name=Pearse /> The KwaZulu-Natal – Free State Drakensberg are composed of softer rocks and therefore have a more rounded, softer appearance from below. Generally, the top of the escarpment is almost table-top flat and smooth, even in Lesotho. The "Lesotho Mountains" are formed away from the Drakensberg escarpment by erosion gulleys which turn into deep valleys containing tributaries of the [[Orange River]]. The large number of such tributaries give the [[Geography of Lesotho|Lesotho Highlands]] a very rugged mountainous appearance, both from the ground and from the air.

The higher parts of Drakensberg have a mildly [[periglaciation|periglacial environment]]. It is possible that recent [[climate change]] has diminished the intensity of periglaciation.<ref name=Knightetal2018>{{cite journal |last1=Knight |first1=Jasper |last2=Grab |first2=Stefan W.|last3=Carbutt |first3=Clinton |date=2018 |title=Influence of mountain geomorphology on alpine ecosystems in the Drakensberg Alpine Centre, Southern Africa |journal=[[Geografiska Annaler|Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography]] |volume=100 |issue=2 |pages=140–162 |doi=10.1080/04353676.2017.1418628 |s2cid=134848291 }}</ref>

Knight and Grab mapped out the distribution of lightning strikes in the Drakensburg and discovered that lightning significantly controls the evolution of the mountain landscapes because it helps to shape the summit areas – the highest areas – with this blasting effect. Previously, angular debris was presumed to have been created by changes typical of cold, periglacial environments, such as fracturing due to frost.<ref name="Foss2013">{{Cite web |title=New evidence on lightning strikes: Mountains a lot less stable than we think |last=Foss |first=Kanina |work=phys.org |date=15 October 2013 |access-date=3 May 2019 |url= https://phys.org/news/2013-10-evidence-lightning.html }}</ref>

=== Composition ===

The geological composition of Drakensberg (escarpment wall) varies considerably along its more than 1000&nbsp;km length. The Limpopo and Mpumalanga Drakensberg are capped by an erosion resistant quartzite layer that is part of the Transvaal Supergroup, which also forms the [[Magaliesberg]] to the north and northwest of Pretoria.<ref name=mccarthy /> These rocks are more than 2000&nbsp;million years old. South of the 26°S parallel the Drakensberg escarpment is composed of [[Ecca Group|Ecca shales]], which belong to the [[Karoo Supergroup]], and they are 300 million years old.<ref name=mccarthy /><ref name="geological map">''Geological map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland ''(1970). Council for Geoscience, Geological Survey of South Africa.</ref> The portion of the Drakensberg that forms the KwaZulu-Natal – Free State border is formed by slightly younger [[Beaufort Group|Beaufort rocks]] (250&nbsp;million years old) that also are part of the Karoo Supergroup.

The Ecca and Beaufort groups are composed of sedimentary rocks that are less erosion resistant than the other rocks that make up the Drakensberg escarpment. Therefore, this portion of escarpment is not so impressive as the Mpumalanga and Lesotho stretches of the Drakensberg. The Drakensberg that form the northeastern and eastern borders of Lesotho, as well as the Eastern Cape Drakensberg, are composed of a thick layer of basalt (lava) that erupted 180 million years ago.<ref name=mccarthy /><ref name="geological map" /> That layer rests on the youngest of the Karoo Supergroup sediments, the [[Stormberg Group|Clarens sandstone]], which was laid down under desert conditions, about 200 million years ago.<ref name=mccarthy /><ref name="geological map" />

==Geography==
=== Peaks ===

The highest peak is [[Thabana Ntlenyana]], at {{convert|3482|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Other notable peaks include [[Mafadi]] ({{convert|3450|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}), [[Makoaneng]] at {{convert|3416|m}}, [[Njesuthi]] at {{convert|3408|m}}, [[Champagne Castle]] at {{convert|3377|m}}, [[Giant's Castle]] at {{convert|3315|m}}, [[Ben Macdhui (South Africa)|Ben Macdhui]] at {{convert|3001|m}}, and [[Popple Peak]] at {{convert|3331|m}}, all of these are in the area bordering on Lesotho, which contains an area popular for hikers, [[Cathedral Peak (South Africa)|Cathedral Peak]]. North of Lesotho the range becomes lower and less rugged until entering Mpumalanga where the quartzite mountains of the Transvaal Drakensberg are loftier and more broken and they form the eastern rim of the Transvaal Basin, the [[Blyde River Canyon]] lying within this stretch. The geology of this section is the same as, and continuous with, that of the [[Magaliesberg]].

=== Mountain passes ===
{{Main article|List of mountain passes of KwaZulu-Natal}}

== Ecology ==

[[File:Drakensberg 00.jpg|thumb|Tugela Falls vicinity – Tugela River in valley]]
[[File:Little Saddle.jpg|thumb|Little Saddle]]
The high treeless peaks of the Drakensberg (from {{convert|2500|m|ft|abbr=on}} upward) have been described by the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] as the ''Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands'' [[ecoregion]]. These steep slopes are the most southerly high mountains in Africa, and being farther from the equator provide cooler habitats at lower elevations than most mountain ranges on the continent. High rainfall generates many mountain streams and rivers, including the sources of the [[Orange River]], southern Africa's longest, and the [[Tugela River]].

These mountains also have the world's highest waterfall, the [[Tugela Falls]] (Thukela Falls), which has a total drop of {{convert|947|m|ft|abbr=on}} (Venezuela's Angel Falls is also a candidate for highest waterfall). The rivers that run from the Drakensberg are an essential resource for South Africa's economy, providing water for the industrial provinces of Mpumalanga and [[Gauteng]], which contains the city of [[Johannesburg]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=at1003|name=Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands}}</ref> The climate is wet and cool at the high elevations, which experience snowfall in winter.

The grassy lower slopes (from {{convert|1800|to|2500|m|ft|abbr=on}}) of the Drakensberg in [[Eswatini]], South Africa and Lesotho constitute the ''Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands, and forests'' ecoregion.

=== Flora ===

[[File:Cathedral Valley.jpg|thumb|Cathedral Valley]]
The mountains are rich in plant life, including a large number of species listed in the Red Data Book of threatened plants, with 119 species listed as globally endangered and "of the 2 153 plant species in the park, a remarkable 98 are endemic or near-endemic".<ref name="Barrier of Spears" />

The ''flora of the high alti-montane grasslands'' is mainly [[tussock grass]], creeping plants, and small shrubs such as [[Erica (plant)|erica]]s. These include the rare Spiral Aloe ''([[Aloe polyphylla]])'', which as its name suggests, has leaves with a spiral shape.

Meanwhile, the ''lower slopes'' are mainly grassland, but are also home to [[conifer]]s, which are rare in Africa, the species of conifer found in the Drakensberg belong to the genus [[Podocarpus]]. The grassland is of interest as it contains a great number of [[Endemism|endemic]] plants. Grasses found here include oat grass ''[[Monocymbium ceresiiforme]]'', ''[[Diheteropogon]] filifolius'', ''[[Sporobolus]] centrifugus'', caterpillar grass ''([[Harpochloa falx]])'', ''[[Cymbopogon]] dieterlenii'', and [[Eulalia villosa]].

In the highest part of Drakensberg the composition of the flora is independent on [[slope aspect]] (direction) and varies, depending on the hardness of the rock [[clast (geology)|clasts]]. This hardness is related to [[weathering]] and is variable even within a single [[landform]].<ref name=Knightetal2018/>

=== Fauna ===

The Drakensberg area is "home to 299 recorded bird species"' making up "37% of all non-marine avian species in southern Africa".<ref name="Barrier of Spears" /> There are 24 species of snakes in the Drakensberg, two of which are highly venomous.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A field guide to the Natal Drakensberg|last=Irwin|first=Pat|publisher=The Natal Branch of the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa|year=1983|isbn=0-949966-452|pages=129}}</ref>

One bird is endemic to the high peaks, the [[mountain pipit]] ''(Anthus hoeschi)'', and another six species are found mainly here: [[Bush blackcap]] ''(Lioptilus nigricapillus)'', [[buff-streaked chat]] ''(Oenanthe bifasciata)'', [[Rudd's lark]] ''(Heteromirafra ruddi)'', [[Drakensberg rockjumper]] ''(Chaetops aurantius)'', [[yellow-breasted pipit]] ''(Anthus chloris)'', and [[Drakensberg siskin]] ''(Serinus symonsi)''. The endangered [[Cape vulture]] and [[lesser kestrel]] are two of the birds of prey that hunt in the mountains. Mammals include [[klipspringer]] ''(Oreotragus oreotragus)'', [[common eland|eland]] ''(Taurotragus oryx)'', and [[mountain reedbuck]] ''(Redunca fulvorufula)''. Other endemic species include three frogs found in the mountain streams, [[Drakensberg river frog]] ''(Amietia dracomontana)'', Phofung river frog ''([[Amietia vertebralis]])'', and [[Maluti river frog]] ''(Amietia umbraculata)''. Fish are found in the many rivers and streams, including the [[Maluti redfin]] (''Pseudobarbus quathlambae'') that was thought to be extinct before being found in the [[Senqunyane River]] in Lesotho.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lhwp.org.ls/environment/nehp/conservation/minnow/default.htm |title=Maloti Minnow |access-date=29 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602183916/http://www.lhwp.org.ls/environment/nehp/conservation/minnow/default.htm |archive-date=2 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name="PreezCarruthers2015">{{cite book|last1=du Preez|first1=Louis |last2=Carruthers|first2=Vincent |title=A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5EegCgAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Penguin Random House South Africa|isbn=978-1-77584-349-8}}</ref>

[[File:Ukhahlamba Drakensburg Cliffs.jpg|thumb|Drakensberg Cliffs]]
The lower slopes of the Drakensberg support much wildlife, perhaps most importantly the rare southern [[white rhinoceros]] (which was nurtured here when facing extinction) and the [[black wildebeest]] (''Connochaetes gnou'', which {{as of | 2011| lc = on}} only thrives in protected areas and game reserves). The area is home to large herds of grazing fauna and antelopes such as [[common eland|eland]] ''(Taurotragus oryx)'', [[reedbuck]] ''(Redunca arundinum)'', [[mountain reedbuck]] ''(Redunca fulvorufula)'', [[grey rhebok]] ''(Pelea capreolus)'', and even some [[oribi]] ''(Ourebia ourebi)''. [[Chacma baboon]]s also are present. Endemic species include a large number of [[chameleon]]s and other reptiles. There is one endemic frog, the forest rain frog ''([[Breviceps sylvestris]])'', and four more species that are found mainly in these mountains; long-toed tree frog ''([[Leptopelis xenodactylus]])'', plaintive rain frog ''([[Breviceps maculatus]])'', rough rain frog ''([[Breviceps verrucosus]])'', and Poynton's caco ''([[Cacosternum poyntoni]])''.

=== Conservation ===

[[File:South Africa-Mpumalanga-Gods Window002.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg portion of the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]], from [[God's Window]], near [[Graskop]], looking south. The hard erosion resistant layer that forms the upper edge of the escarpment here consists of flat lying quartzite belonging to the Black Reef Formation, which also forms the [[Magaliesberg]] mountains near Pretoria.<ref name=mccarthy /><ref name=norman>{{cite book|last1=Norman|first1=Nick|last2=Whitfield|first2=Gavin |title=Geological Journeys: A Traveller's Guide to South Africa's Rocks and Landforms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_uDcm-olXE8C|year=2006|publisher=Penguin Random House South Africa|isbn=978-1-77007-062-2|pages=290–300}}</ref>]]
The ''high slopes'' are hard to reach so the environment is fairly undamaged. However, tourism in the Drakensberg is developing, with a variety of [[Drakensberg hiking|hiking trails]], hotels, and resorts appearing on the slopes. Much of the higher South African parts of the range have been designated as [[game reserve]]s or [[wilderness area]]s. 7% of the Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion is in protected areas. These include [[Golden Gate Highlands National Park]], [[Sehlabathebe National Park]], [[Tsehlanyane National Park]], [[Malekgalonyane Nature Reserve]], [[Giant's Castle Game Reserve]], [[Loteni Nature Reserve]], [[Natal National Park]], [[Vergelegen Nature Reserve]], [[Beaumont Nature Reserve]], and [[Lammergeier Highlands Nature Reserve]].<ref>"Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 20 April 2022. [https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31003]</ref>

Of these the [[uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park]] was listed by [[UNESCO]] in 2000 as a [[World Heritage]] site. The park also is in the [[List of Wetlands of International Importance]] (under the [[Ramsar Convention]]). The [[Royal Natal National Park]], which contains some of the higher peaks, is part of this large park complex. Adjacent to the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site is the 1900 ha Allendale Mountain Reserve, which is the largest private reserve adjoining the World Heritage Site and is found in the accessible Kamberg area, the heart of the historic [[San rock art|San (Bushman) painting region]] of the Ukhahlamba.

The grassland of the ''lower slopes'' has been greatly affected by agriculture, however, especially by [[overgrazing]]. Nearly all of the original grassland and forest has disappeared and more protection is needed, although the [[Giant's Castle|Giant's Castle reserve]] is a haven for the [[common eland|eland]] and also is a breeding ground for the [[bearded vulture]]. 5.81% of the Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests ecoregion is in protected areas. These include [[Kruger National Park]], [[Mountain Zebra National Park]], Golden Gate Highlands National Park, [[Camdeboo National Park]], Sehlabathebe National Park, and Tsehlanyane National Park.<ref>"Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 20 April 2022. [https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31004]</ref>

[[File:GiantsCastlePanoramaSmall.jpg|center|thumb|upright=3.63|Panorama of the [[Giant's Castle]] region]]
The [[Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area]] was established to preserve some of the high mountain areas of the range.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfcaportal.org/node/26 |title=Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104756/https://tfcaportal.org/node/26|archive-date=2020-08-11 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== Human habitation  ==

Towns and cities in the Drakensberg area include, from south to north, [[Matatiele, Eastern Cape|Matatiele]] and [[Barkly East]] in the Eastern Cape Province; [[Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal|Ladysmith]], [[Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal|Newcastle]], [[Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal|Ulundi]] – the former [[Zulu Kingdom|Zulu]] capital, [[Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal|Dundee]], and [[Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal|Ixopo]] in KwaZulu-Natal; all of Lesotho, whose capital is [[Maseru]]; and [[Tzaneen]] in [[Limpopo Province]].

=== San cave paintings ===

[[File:San Painting, Ukalamba Drakensberge 1.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|San rock painting of an eland in a [[Clarens Formation]] cave in the UKhahlamba Drakensberg Park of [[KwaZulu-Natal]] close to the Lesotho border ]]
There are numerous caves in the easily eroded sandstone of [[Clarens Formation]], the layer below the thick, hard basalt layer on the KwaZulu Natal-Lesotho border. Many of these caves have [[Parietal art|painting]]s by the [[San people|San]] (Bushmen). This portion of the Drakensberg has between 35,000 and 40,000 works of [[San rock art]],<ref name="Barrier of Spears">{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/drakensberg-050705.htm|title=Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears| last=Alexander|first=Mary|access-date=3 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181740/http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/drakensberg-050705.htm#.WuFxpYhua00|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="Drakensberg Tourism">{{cite web|url=http://www.drakensberg-tourism.com/bushman-rock-art.html |title=Bushman and San Paintings in the Drakensberg |publisher=Drakensberg Tourism |access-date=3 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918020735/http://www.drakensberg-tourism.com/bushman-rock-art.html |archive-date=18 September 2008 }}</ref> and is the largest collection of such parietal work in the world.

Some 20,000 individual rock paintings have been recorded at 500 different caves and overhanging sites between the Drakensberg Royal Natal National Park and Bushman's Nek.<ref name="Drakensberg Tourism" /> Due to the materials used in their production, these paintings are difficult to date, but there is anthropological evidence, including many hunting implements, that the San people existed in the Drakensberg at least 40,000 years ago, and possibly more than 100,000 years ago. According to mountainsides.co.za, "[i]n Nd edema Gorge in the Central Ginsberg 3,900 paintings have been recorded at 17 sites. One of them, Sebaayeni Cave, contains 1,146 individual paintings."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drakensbergmountains.co.za/bushman-rock-art.html|title=Drakensberg Rock Art|access-date=3 October 2008}}</ref> The website, south Africa.info, indicates that although "the oldest painting on a rock shelter wall in the Ginsberg dates back about 2400 years... paint chips at least a thousand years older have also been found."<ref name="Barrier of Spears" /> The site also indicates that "[t]he rock art of the Drakensberg is the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in Africa south of the Sahara, and is outstanding both in quality and diversity of subject."<ref name="Barrier of Spears" />

== See also ==

* [[List of mountains in South Africa]]
* [[Maloti Mountains]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2|refs=

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  {{cite journal|last1=McCarthy|first1=T. S.|title=The Okavango Delta and its Place in the Geomorphological Evolution of Southern Africa
  | journal=South African Journal of Geology|volume=116|issue=1|year=2013|pages=1–54|issn=1012-0750|doi=10.2113/gssajg.116.1.1}}</ref>
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== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal | last1=Rosen | first1=Deborah | last2=Lewis | first2=Colin | last3=Illgner | first3=Peter | title=Palaeoclimatic And Archaeological Implications of Organic- Rich Sediments at Tifftidell Ski Resort, Near Rhodes, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa | journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa | volume=54 |issue=2 | pages=311–321 | year=1999 | doi = 10.1080/00359199909520630 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Drakensberg}}
{{Collier's poster|Drakenberge}}
{{Wikivoyage|Ukhahlamba Drakensberg}}

* {{Wikivoyage inline|Mpumalanga Escarpment in a weekend|Mpumalanga Escarpment in a weekend}}
* [http://www.drakensberg.kzn.org.za  KZN Drakensberg Homepage] – Official Website for the KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg
*
* [https://www.drakensberg.org Southern Drakensberg Tourism] – Southern Drakensberg Tourism
* [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/drakensberg-barrier-of-spears-introduction/4592/ Nature – Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears] – PBS Nature episode covering the eland (largest member of antelope family) of the Drakensberg.
* [http://www.govertical.co.za  Drakensberg hiking trails] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828031853/http://www.govertical.co.za/ |date=28 August 2018 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180426150250/http://www.peaceparks.org/tfca.php?pid=27&mid=1004 Maloti-Drakensberg]

{{Major African geological formations}}
{{World Heritage Sites in South Africa}}
{{Biodiversity of South Africa|ecoreg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Drakensberg| ]]
[[Category:Afromontane ecoregions]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of South Africa]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Africa]]
[[Category:Escarpments of Africa]]
[[Category:Extinct volcanism]]
[[Category:Great Escarpment, Southern Africa]]
[[Category:Landforms of KwaZulu-Natal]]
[[Category:Landforms of Mpumalanga]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Free State (province)]]
[[Category:Large igneous provinces]]
[[Category:Lesotho–South Africa border]]
[[Category:Montane grasslands and shrublands]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Lesotho]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Limpopo]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of South Africa]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of the Eastern Cape]]
[[Category:Precambrian volcanism]]
[[Category:Prehistoric Africa]]
[[Category:Triassic volcanism]]
[[Category:Volcanism of Lesotho]]
[[Category:Volcanism of South Africa]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in South Africa]]