South Africa

Seasonal calendar — from climate data and curated definitions.

National holidays — closures and days off.

UNESCO World Heritage sites in this country.

• Robben Island

  1999Cultural

  ©

  Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the archaic Dutch word for seals (robben), hence the Dutch/Afrikaans name Robbeneiland, which translates to Seal(s) Island.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Vredefort Dome

  2005Natural

  ©

  The Vredefort impact structure is one of the largest impact structures on Earth. The crater, which has since been worn away, has been estimated at 170–300 kilometres (110–190 mi) across when it was formed, the latter estimate suggesting the initial crater was larger than Chicxulub crater, the largest mostly intact impact crater on Earth.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa

  1999Cultural

  

  The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site that is located about 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, the site is home to the largest known concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. The site currently occupies 47,000 hectares and contains a complex system of limestone caves. The registered name of the site in the list of World Heritage Sites is Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

  2007Cultural

  The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to craggy sharp mountains of volcanic rock and the lushness of the Orange River, which forms the border with neighboring Namibia. The area ranges in altitude from sea level, to 1,377 m (4,518 ft) at Cornellberg. Located in the north-western side of the Northern Cape province in South Africa, the Richtersveld is regarded as the only arid biodiversity hotspot on earth and the majority of the area is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List due to its cultural values.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Cape Floral Region Protected Areas

  2004Natural

  The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Maputo National Park

  1999Natural

  ©

  iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 235 km (146 mi) north of Durban by road. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km (170 mi) of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the Lake St. Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km2 (1,270 sq mi) of natural ecosystems, managed by the iSimangaliso Authority.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Maloti-Drakensberg Park

  2000Mixed

  

  The Sehlabathebe National Park is located in the Maloti Mountains in Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho and is part of the Maloti-Drakensberg World Heritage Site. The park was first established on 8 May 1969 and since then, is recognised as important in terms of biological diversity and cultural heritage. The landscape is dominated by grasslands of various types. The larger ecosystem functions provide freshwater to Lesotho, South Africa, and Namibia.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape

  2003Cultural

  
• Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains

  2018Natural

  The Makhonjwa Mountains or Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains are a range of small mountains and hills that covers an area of 120 by 60 kilometres, about 80% in Mpumalanga, a province of South Africa, and the remainder in neighbouring Eswatini. It constitutes 40% of the Barberton Greenstone Belt.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape

  2017Cultural

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