Waterberg Biosphere
The Waterberg (Northern Sotho: Thaba Meetse) is a mountainous massif of approximately 654,033 hectare in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2,000 m above sea level. Vaalwater town is located just north of the mountain range. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg there are archaeological finds dating to the Stone Age, and nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans.
| Waterberg (Thaba Meetse) | |
|---|---|
River gorge in the Lapalala Wilderness of the Waterberg showing horizontal sandstone layering | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Geelhoutkop |
| Elevation | 1,830 m (6,000 ft) |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges of South Africa |
| Coordinates | 24°4′30″S 28°8′30″E |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 170 km (110 mi) NE/SW |
| Width | 80 km (50 mi) NW/SE |
| Geography | |
Waterberg (Thaba Meetse) near Vaalwater | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Kaapvaal Craton |
| Age of rock | Neoarchean to early Paleoproterozoic |
| Type of rock | Bushveld Igneous Complex, sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | From the towns of Vaalwater or Bela-Bela |
Waterberg (Thaba Meetse) is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.