Maria Moroka National Park is named after Chieftainess Maria Moipone Moroka of the Barolong Tribe in Thaba Nchu. The national park is near
Thaba Nchu
Thaba 'Nchu is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The town was settled in December 1833 and officially established ...
in the Mangaung District of the
Free State Province,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. The park perimeter surrounds the Moutloatse Setlogelo Dam (previously known as the Groothoek Dam) which is a popular angling area. The Thaba Nchu (
Tswana for "Black Mountain") mountain range is to the north of the national park.
Climate
The national park comprises
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
vegetation. The area is a summer rainfall region with most rain falling between November and March. The winter season between May and August is clear although temperatures can drop to below freezing at night. Frost are frequent in the winter and snowfall occasionally occurs in the mountainous regions.
Wildlife
The animals found in the reserve include several species of mammals such as
Burchell's zebra
Burchell's zebra (''Equus quagga burchellii'') is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include bontequagga, Damaraland zebra, and Zululand zebra (John ...
,
black wildebeest
The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (''Connochaetes gnou'') is one of the two closely related wildebeest species. It is a member of the genus '' Connochaetes'' and family Bovidae. It was first described in 1780 by Eberhard August Wilhelm ...
,
eland
Eland may refer to:
Animals
*''Taurotragus'', a genus of antelope
** Common eland of East and Southern Africa
** Giant eland of Central and Western Africa
Places
* Eland, Wisconsin, United States
* An old spelling of Elland, West Yorkshire
* Ela ...
,
springbok,
blesbok
The blesbok or blesbuck (''Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi'') is a subspecies of the bontebok antelope endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. It has a distinctive white face and forehead which inspired the name, because ''bles'' is the Afri ...
,
red hartebeest, jackals, vultures and
white rhino
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...
s.
There are also more than 100 different bird species including many water fowl species which frequent the Montloatse Setlogelo Dam. The
blue crane also frequents the reserve.
Activities
There is a 9 km hiking trail to the
Thaba Nchu
Thaba 'Nchu is a town in Free State, South Africa, 63 km east of Bloemfontein and 17 km east of Botshabelo. The population is largely made up of Tswana and Sotho people. The town was settled in December 1833 and officially established ...
mountain. Other activities include
braai
Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time.
The meat may be whole, groun ...
facilities, picnic areas, wildlife day tours, tennis, mini golf, cabaret shows, and angling.
See also
*
Sacred caves of the Basotho For thousands of years, a pilgrimage has been made by the Basotho people to a network of sacred caves to communicate with the spiritual world. The caves also contain dinosaur footprints and ancient rock paintings. The caves are located between the e ...
*
Tswana people
External links
*
References
Nature reserves in South Africa
Protected areas of the Free State (province)
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