|
Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot (MPA) is a biodiversity hotspot, a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity, in Southern Africa. It is situated near the south-eastern coast of Africa, occupying an area between the Great Escarpment and the Indian Ocean. The area is named after Maputaland, Pondoland and Albany. It stretches from the Albany Centre of Plant Endemism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, through the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism and KwaZulu-Natal Province, the eastern side of Eswatini (known as Swaziland until 2018) and into southern Mozambique and Mpumalanga. The Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism is contained in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique. Geography This ecoregion covers globally all the humid subtropical climate zones of Africa (the latter being located almost exclusively in South Africa), an area of . It forms a broad coastal strip extending from the extreme south of Mozambique and north-east o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean or Antarctica, depending on the definition in use. Along its core, the Indian Ocean has some large marginal or regional seas such as the Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea. Etymology The Indian Ocean has been known by its present name since at least 1515 when the Latin form ''Oceanus Orientalis Indicus'' ("Indian Eastern Ocean") is attested, named after Indian subcontinent, India, which projects into it. It was earlier known as the ''Eastern Ocean'', a term that was still in use during the mid-18th century (see map), as opposed to the ''Western Ocean'' (Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic) before the Pacific Ocean, Pacific was surmised. Conversely, Ming treasure voyages, Chinese explorers in the Indian Oce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wild Coast Region, Eastern Cape
The Wild Coast is a section of the coast of the Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa. The region stretches from East London in the south to the border of KwaZulu-Natal in the north. It is the traditional home of the Mpondo people, and the birthplace of many prominent South Africans, including Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. The Wild Coast is crossed by the N2 National Road. History The Wild Coast from the Great Kei River to the Mtamvuna River was part of the former homeland of the Transkei during the Apartheid era. In 1986, a bombing occurred at Wild Coast Casino in Mbizana Local Municipality. Geography Many rivers empty into the sea along the Wild Coast. In the southernmost parts of the region, where the hills are lower, the rivers tend to be mature and are characterized by wide floodplains. But in the rugged north, where young rivers find their path to the sea blocked by massive cliffs, many, like Waterfall Bluff, leap over the rocky crags into the surf below. Smal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maputaland
Maputaland is a natural region of Southern Africa. It is located in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between Eswatini and the coast. In a wider sense it may also include the southernmost region of Mozambique. The bird routes and coral reefs off the coast are major tourist attractions. Now the name of this traditional region is being revived for the Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets, one of the ecoregions of South Africa, as well as for the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. Geography Maputaland is bordered by the Ubombo Mountains in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east. It covers an area of about 10,000 km2, stretching approximately from the town of Hluhluwe and the northern section of Lake St. Lucia to the border of Mozambique and South Africa, or beyond to Maputo in Mozambique. Tongaland The South African section of Maputaland was also previously known as Tongaland after the Tonga people who live there. The usually flat region fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pondoland
Pondoland or Mpondoland (Xhosa: ''EmaMpondweni''), is a natural region on the South African shores of the Indian Ocean. It is located in the coastal belt of the Eastern Cape province. Its territory is the former Mpondo Kingdom of the Mpondo people. Geography Mpondoland stretches between the Mthatha River, whose mouth is its southernmost point, and the Mtamvuna River in the north along a coastal strip that is not more than 50 km wide. The Mzimvubu River divides Mpondoland into an eastern and a western region. It is a mountainous area whose main vegetation consists in thornveld, grassland, as well as subtropical evergreen forests in the humid coastal valleys. History The Khoikhoi and San people had inhabited the region since ancient times in scattered nomadic groups. About 500 AD the Xhosa speaking Ngunis settled in the area, for the mountain grasslands were a good resource for cattle-rearing. Geographically Mpondoland was a remote area, not strongly affected by the events ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maputaland Centre Of Plant Endemism
The Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism is situated in the coastal region of South Africa in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, and also includes the southernmost part of Mozambique. It forms part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. It is notable for its biodiversity and unique, Endemism, endemic flora and fauna. References Flora of South Africa Geography of South Africa Maputaland coastal forest mosaic {{SouthAfrica-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albany Centre Of Plant Endemism
The Albany Centre of Plant Endemism is situated in the coastal region of South Africa at the eastern end of the Eastern Cape Province. It is named after the district of Albany and falls within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. It is notable for its biodiversity and unique, endemic flora and fauna. The Albany area is of extreme ecological importance because of its unique indigenous vegetation, composed of deep, lush " Albany thickets". Albany thicket is an ecoregion and biodiversity hotspot of dense woodland, containing many endemic species. Ecologically it forms part of the greater Cape Floristic Region. The coastal belt has a temperate climate, with winter rainfall of per annum or more. In the interior, the terrain is mostly dry Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biodiversity Hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the concept was revised following thorough analysis by Myers and others into “Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions” and a paper published in the journal ''Nature'', both in 2000. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers' 2000 edition of the hotspot map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (more than 0.5% of the world's total) as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a high share of those species as endemics. Some of these hotspots support up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pondoland Centre Of Plant Endemism
The Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism is situated in the coastal region overlapping the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in South Africa. It is named after Pondoland and falls within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot. The region consists of grassy plateaus incised by forested ravines and gorges. The main substrate in the area is Natal Group Sandstone, which was formed by sediments laid down about 500 million years ago in a rift underlying the eastern Agulhas Sea in the ancient continent of Gondwana. The region is about 18,800 hectares in extent, and lies along the coastline stretching about 15 kilometres inland with a maximum altitude of about 400 to 500 metres above sea level. The region is essentially a transition zone between sub-tropical and temperate climates. Endemics Some notable endemic plants include Sanderson’s Bladderwort (''Utricularia sandersonii''), the Pondo Coconut ('' Jubaeopsis caffra''), the Pondoland Ghost Bush ('' Raspalia trigyna''), the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winterberg (Eastern Cape)
The Great Winterberg is an extensive east–west mountain range lying immediately north of the small towns of Bedford, Adelaide and Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Elevation on average is about 1800 metres above sea-level. The Great Winterberg Peak north of Adelaide rises to 2371 metres, high enough to be occasionally covered in snow. The underlying geology consists of shales and sandstones of the Beaufort Series of the Karoo System, frequently with dolerite intrusions. Rainfall on the southern slopes (facing the sea) is fairly high. A notable pass over the range is the Katberg Pass built by Andrew Geddes Bain Andrew Geddes Bain (baptised 11 June 1797 – 20 October 1864), was a South African geologist, road engineer, palaeontologist and explorer. Life history The only child of Alexander Bain and Jean Geddes, both of whom died when Bain was still a ... in 1860–64. References *Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa (NASOU 1973) Mountain ranges of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amathole Mountains
Amatola, Amatole or Amathole are a range of densely forested mountains, situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The word ''Amathole'' means ‘calves’ in Xhosa, and Amathole District Municipality, which lies to the south, is named after these mountains. Geology The Amathole Mountains form part of the southern portion of the Great Escarpment, rising over 1,800 metres above sea level. The escarpment slopes are densely covered in ancient forests of yellowwoods, white stinkwoods, Cape chestnuts and other indigenous trees. Deep indigenous woods like Kologha and Kubusie are some of the largest swaths of forest in South Africa. The mountains are capped with flower-rich montane grassland. Albany thickets also feature prominently in the surrounding area. The mountains are famous for their scenic beauty with lush forests, ravines, waterfalls and panoramic views. The six-day Amatola hiking trail is one of the top hiking trails in South Africa. The Amatola Mountains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MPA Panorama
MPA or mPa may refer to: Academia Academic degrees * Master of Performing Arts * Master of Professional Accountancy * Master of Public Administration * Master of Public Affairs Schools * Mesa Preparatory Academy * Morgan Park Academy * Mounds Park Academy * Mount Pisgah Academy Science and medicine * Megapascal, SI unit of pressure * Marine protected area * MeerKAT Precursor Array for the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa * Microscopic polyangiitis, a disease * Minor physical anomalies * Movement pattern analysis, for assessing motivations Chemicals * Medroxyprogesterone acetate * 3-Mercaptopropionic acid * Methiopropamine, (N-methyl-1-(thiophen-2-yl)propan-2-amine) * Methylphosphonic acid * Mycophenolic acid, an immunosuppressant drug * 4-Nonanoylmorpholine or morpholide pelargonic acid Legislation * Marriage Protection Act, 2003–2004 US federal bill Organizations and companies * Macedonian Press Agency, Greece * Maine Principals' Association, governing school sport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
