Geography & Wildlife
Huge conservation reserves since late 19th century
South Africa’s varied geography has diverse habitats, including deserts, savannahs, rainforests, mangroves, wetlands and mountain regions, such as the Soutpansberg and Maluti mountains.
It's a fact...
The vast crater at Vredefort Dome is one of the oldest and largest meteorite sites, created two billion years ago (long before dinosaurs roamed the planet).
There are more than 300 dedicated places or reserves for wildlife, including more than a dozen national parks. Some of these are now linked to reserves in neighbouring countries. These large conservation areas allow for the natural migration of the animal populations.
Hunted to extinction
We tend to think of conservation as a relatively recent movement. However, in the late 19th century, the authorities in South Africa could already see the country’s animals had been decimated by colonial hunting. Some species – such as the zebra-like quagga – had been hunted to extinction.
Understanding that the country’s wildlife was an important asset, the first conservation land was created between KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland in 1894 (now Pongola Game Reserve).
Two million hectare reserve
The most famous wildlife reserve is Kruger National Park in the north-east. The park covers an area of two million hectares (250km long and 60km wide) and incorporates six different ecosystems (such as woodland and sandveld). It is home to more than 100 reptile, 500 bird and 140 mammal species.
It's a fact...
African elephants, the world’s largest land mammals, live in tight-knit family groups. When they meet, elephants will touch the face of another with their trunk or intertwine trunks as a form of greeting or assessment, much like a human handshake.
Naturally, all of ‘the big five’ mammals – leopards, lions, elephants, buffalo and rhino – can be found at Kruger, where they can be seen in their natural environment.
Because the males (or bulls) live mostly as solitary animals, elephant groups are lead by a matriach. In these family groups, young elephants keep close to their mother for many years. But if she isn’t nearby, the young are also cared for by other females, known as ‘allomothers’. These caring acts help promote the stability of the group.
Wide variety of plants
South Africa is blessed with a wide variety of plants, some distributed across the country, while others are specific to certain regions. The south-western tip of the Cape is particularly known for its flora; it has around 8,500 different plants species in an area comprising less than four percent of the country’s land.
The fynbos (dry scrubland) of the south-western Cape is particularly rich in plants – hundreds of protea species, as well as many pelargoniums, ericas, reeds and irises.
Protea cynaroides, or King Protea, grows wild in the fynbos of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden near Cape Town (a UNESCO World Heritage site).
