Eye of the Sahara, Kilimanjaro volcano, Victoria Falls, Emerald City, Giza, Egyptian pyramids - how many natural and man-made wonders are hidden in the most mysterious continent of the planet - Africa!
Dragon Mountains - The Pearl of South Africa
The Dragon Mountains are one of the most beautiful places on the continent. They have a unique origin. These are massive mountains with steep slopes and weak ruggedness, formed as a result of raising the earth's crust and dumping of basalt.
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the mountains. Dragon Mountain stories tell of the presence on its territory of a dragon who was seen in the 19th century. Another variant of the origin of the name is the presence of a haze above the mountains, similar to the flame of a dragon. The most common version is that the name is Dutch, and it was given by the Boers, comparing the tops of the mountains with the ridge of the dragon.
Dragon Mountain: place on the map
The Dragon Mountains pass through the territory of South Africa from east to west, from the Indian Ocean to the Great Veld plateau. Mount Dragons is located in three states: South Africa, the enclave of Lesotho, the Kingdom of Swaziland. The length of the mountain range is over 1100 km, the average altitude is 2000 m. The highest points are the Katkin Peak mountains with a height of 3660 m and the Thabana-Ntlanyana with a height of 3482 m. The Drakens Mountains, where the most diverse relief is represented, are divided into two parts: hilly, lively (Royal Natal National Park), and alpine, lifeless (Basuto plateau).
Drakensberg - the territory of reserves
Drakensberg is a variant of the name of the Dragon Mountain. The charm of the Dragon Mountains is amazing in its scenery. Here you can see waterfalls and canyons, valleys and cliffs. Dragon Mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reserves, reserves, national parks occupy a significant part of the mountain range.
Royal Natal National Park is located on the unique landscape of Dragons Mountain. Incredibly beautiful is the southern border of the park - the Amphitheater mountain range, named after its flat top. This is a natural rocky step 8 km long. Near it is the Tugela waterfall 948 m high, which consists of five cascades and is considered the second highest in the world after Angel Falls.
In the Royal Natal park, there is a Santa Lucia reserve from the World Heritage List - this is an area of 275 thousand hectares adjacent to the oldest lake on the planet of the same name.
Golden Gate Highlands Nature Reserve - Golden Gate - is also located where the Dragon Mountains are located, closer to the Maluti massif. This is the park, named for the unusually beautiful golden glow of Brandwag rock at sunset. The park was created in 1963 with the aim of protecting against the destruction of sandstones, which once served as a refuge for the Bushmen.
Ukhakhlamba Drakensberg National Park is another special UNESCO site. The park, located in the zone of the Big Escape, is considered the largest in the Dragon Mountains. Rare representatives of flora and fauna survived here, the total number of which is more than 250 species.
Dragon Mountain Fauna
The territory of the Dragon Mountains is distinguished by its exceptional nature. This is due primarily to the fact that the mountains serve as a natural barrier to the migration of animals living here and on the inland plateau. In national parks, pristine nature has been preserved. Ukhakhlamba Drakensberg has an untouched strip of alpine and subalpine vegetation - this is a special region bearing the status of the World Center for Endemism and Plant Diversity. The endemic birds of the Dragon Mountains are the bald ibis and bearded beak, nesting only near the Cathedral Cave (a natural arch that formed under the influence of water on sand during temperature fluctuations). The yellow chested horse is also a rare endangered species. The Cape Vulture lives only on the rocks of Ukhakhlamb Park. Due to the presence of a large number of rare birds, UNESCO has identified part of the Dragon Mountains as an important ornithological territory.
Only in Ukhahlamba Park are mammals such as the oribi antelope, Burchell's zebra, and black wildebeest. Animals typical for southern Africa also live in the mountains: antelopes (mountain redunka, shrub duker, bushbuck, roe antelope), caracal, jackal, serval, leopard, otter, geneta, mongoose.
Dragon Mountain Flora
Dragon Mountain is located in the south of the Afromontana Botanical and Geographical Region. Steppes, forests and woodlands are widespread here, where the world's only populations of white-tailed wildebeest and white rhino live. Alpine vegetation botany attributed to analogues of the alpine tundra. The east of the mountains is humid, its slopes (up to a height of 1200 m) are covered with rainforests with vines, evergreen trees, epiphytes. Thorny shrubs, xerophytes and succulents grow from a height of 1200-1500 m. Above 2000 m are mountain steppes, green meadows, stone placers. The west of the mountains is covered with savannahs and shrubs.
