Tafelberg (literally "

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

") is one of the highest mountains in

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

at . It is a

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gra ...

and is part of the

Tafelberg Nature Reserve The Central Suriname Nature Reserve ( nl, Centraal Suriname Natuurreservaat (CSNR)) is a conservation unit in Suriname. It preserves an area of tropical rainforest. The reserve is in pristine condition. History The Central Suriname Nature Reserv ...

. The mountain is in the

Sipaliwini District Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo. History Sipaliwini was created ...

. The

Rudi Kappel Airstrip Rudi Kappel Airstrip is located south of the Tafelberg tepui in Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It used to be named Tafelberg Airstrip, but was renamed Rudi Kappel Airstrip, after the co-pilot of a flight that cr ...

, former name: Tafelberg Airstrip, is nearby. In 1943, the mountain was climbed for the first time by the

Coppename River The Coppename is a river in Suriname (South America) in the district of Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of Coronie and Saramacca. Course The Coppename river begins in the Wilhelmina Mountains. Its tributaries ar ...

expedition lead by

Dirk Geijskes Dirk Cornelis Geijskes (16 May 1907 – 27 September 1985) was a Dutch biologist, ethnologist and curator. He was the first director of the Surinaams Museum. As a biologist, he specialised in dragonflies. He would lead many expeditions into the in ...

Notable disasters

* In 1944

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

Captain Atkinson while on a reconnaissance flight over the South of Suriname, had to make a crashlanding on the Tafelberg. Fortunately he was rescued after a few days by a military search and rescue expedition. * On 25 October 1968 a

Douglas C-47A The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

PH-DAA of KLM Aerocarto flew into the Tafelberg following an engine failure whilst on a survey flight. The aircraft collided with the mountain in cloud, killing three of the five people on board.

References

External links

Google Maps - TafelbergTafelberg expedition
YouTube Inselbergs of South America Mountains of Suriname {{Suriname-geo-stub