Kamieskroon is a small town in the

Kamiesberg Local Municipality Kamiesberg Local Municipality is in South Africa. Population In 2007 an estimated 12,117 persons lived in Kamiesberg; however, this estimate is very rough. The majority of Kamiesberg's people are coloured (mixed race). Kharkams village represen ...

, lying in the foothills of the

Kamiesberge The Kamiesberg or Kamiesberge (Khoikhoi ''"Th'amies"'' = ''"jumble"''), is a mountain range of jumbled granite inselbergs or bornhardts dotted over sandy plains and centered on Kamieskroon in Namaqualand in South Africa. This range is very like th ...

at an elevation of approximately 800 m (2 600 ft). The town is more or less in the centre of

Namaqualand Namaqualand (khoekhoe: "Nama-kwa" meaning Nama Khoe people's land) is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of . It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into ...

, about 70 km (43 mi) to the south of

Springbok, Northern Cape Springbok is the largest town in the Namaqualand area in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It was called Springbokfontein until 1911, when it was shortened to Springbok. Springbok is located on the N7 national route which connects the ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It is known mainly for its abundance of wild flowers during spring. Kamieskroon was founded in 1924, when the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

bought the land to relocate from Bowesdorp, 8 km to the north of the current location of the town. The move was forced by a shortage of water and restricted space for the growth of the town. Kamieskroon is located at the foot of the "Kroon" (Afrikaans, meaning Crown), a small koppie that resembles the crown of a king and is near Sneeukop, the second highest peak in Namaqualand. Also located close to Kamieskroon is Boesmankop, a mountain that resembles a Boesman ( Bushman or San) lying on his back. Between 1969 and 2003 it was a military base housing two Armoured Squadrons equipped with Ratel-90 and four Companies of SA 9th Light Infantry Regiment.

Namaqua National Park Namaqua National Park is a South African national park situated approximately 495 km north of Cape Town and 22 km northwest of Kamieskroon. It has an area of more than 1300 km2.Van Deventer, M. and J.A.J. Nel. 2006. Habitat, food, ...

is located 20 km west of Kamieskroon. It is 1,000 km² in area and its principal purpose is to preserve the natural local flora. Since 2002 native wild animals have been re-introduced to the Park. (They had been shot out at least a century before).

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm ...

Hartebeest The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an African antelope. It is the only member of the genus ''Alcelaphus''. Eight subspecies have been described, including two sometimes considered to be independ ...

and

Oryx ''Oryx'' is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which ...

(Gemsbok) now roam there again. The climate is arid but temperatures are moderated somewhat by the elevation. Daytime temperatures commonly reach thirty-five degrees Celsius (95 °F) in summer while some frost may be experienced during clear winter nights.

References

Populated places in the Kamiesberg Local Municipality Populated places established in 1924 1924 establishments in South Africa {{NorthernCape-geo-stub