Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts

South Africa: Robben Island

Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0



South Africa: Early Farmsteads of the Cape Winelands (tentative)

The Cape Winelands is situated in the extreme south-western corner of the African continent in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town, the capital of the Western Cape Province, one of nine provinces of the Republic of South Africa.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.



South Africa: Maloti-Drakensberg Park

The Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a transnational property composed of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park in South Africa and the Sehlathebe National Park in Lesotho. The site has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts as well as visually spectacular sculptured arches, caves, cliffs, pillars and rock pools. The site's diversity of habitats protects a high level of endemic and globally important plants. The site harbors endangered species such as the Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). Lesotho’s Sehlabathebe National Park also harbors the Maloti minnow (Pseudobarbus quathlambae), a critically endangered fish species only found in this park. This spectacular natural site contains many caves and rock-shelters with the largest and most concentrated group of paintings in Africa south of the Sahara. They represent the spiritual life of the San people, who lived in this area over a period of 4,000 years.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.



South Africa: Cape Floral Region Protected Areas

Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, the property is located at the south-western extremity of South Africa. It is one of the world’s great centres of terrestrial biodiversity. The extended property includes national parks, nature reserves, wilderness areas, State forests and mountain catchment areas. These elements add a significant number of endemic species associated with the Fynbos vegetation, a fine-leaved sclerophyllic shrubland adapted to both a Mediterranean climate and periodic fires, which is unique to the Cape Floral Region.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.