TheHighveld(Afrikaans:Hoëveld,pronounced[ˈɦuəfælt],lit. 'High Field') is the portion of theSouth Africaninlandplateauwhich has an altitude above roughly 1,500 m (4,900 ft), but below 2,100 m (6,900 ft), thus excluding theLesothomountain regions to the south-east of the Highveld. It is home to some of the country's most important commercial farming areas, as well as its largest concentration of metropolitan centres, especially theGautengconurbation,which accommodates one-third of South Africa's population.
Highveld | |
|---|---|
Natural region | |
 Highveld in winter inGautengProvince north ofJohannesburg | |
 A map of South Africa showing the central plateau edged by the Great Escarpment and its relationship to the Highveld andLesotho Highlands:The portion of theGreat Escarpmentshown in red is officially known as theDrakensberg,although most South Africans think of the Drakensberg as only that portion of the escarpment which forms the border betweenKwaZulu-NatalandLesotho.Here, the escarpment rises to its greatest height, over 3000 m. | |
| Country | South Africa Lesotho |
| Area | |
| • Total | 400,000 km2(200,000 sq mi) |
Location and description
editThe Highveld constitutes almost the whole of theFree State,andGautengProvinces, and portions of the surrounding areas: the western rim of Lesotho, and portions of theEastern Cape,Northern Cape,North West,Limpopo,andMpumalangaProvinces of South Africa.[1]The highest part of the Highveld, around 2,100 m (6,900 ft), is its northeastern well-defined boundary, where the plateau escarpment (the MpumalangaDrakensberg) separates it from the MpumalangaLowveld,(containing, amongst others, theKruger National Park).[2]Another well defined boundary is to its north where theMagaliesbergseparates the Highveld from the Bushveld. The continuation of theGreat Escarpmentto the south separates the Highveld from KwaZulu-Natal.[3]The south-eastern portion of the Great Escarpment (that portion of the Great Escarpment most commonly referred to astheDrakensberg) rises to over 3000 m and forms the boundary between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. The latter mountainous region is, however, not generally referred to as Highveld, whose boundary at this point runs just inside the Lesotho-Free State border, about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). From its eastern boundary, the Highveld slopes gently downwards to be bounded by theGreat Karooto the south, theKalaharidesert to the west, theBushveldto the north, the Mpumalanga Lowveld to the northeast, KwaZulu-Natal to the east, and theLesotho Highlands, or Mountains,to the southeast.[3]The Highveld covers an area of almost 400,000 km2(150,000 sq mi), or roughly 30% of South Africa's land area.
The Highveld terrain is generally devoid of mountains, consisting of rolling plains, especially in the Free State, sometimes interrupted by rocky ridges such as theWitwatersrand,theMagaliesberg,andVredefort Dome.TheVaal Riverand its tributaries form the main water drainage system of the Highveld. Tributaries of theOrange Riverdrain the most southerly regions of the Highveld.
The Highveldrainy seasonoccurs in summer, with substantial afternoon thunderstorms being typical occurrences in November, December, and January. Frost occurs in winter.
Urban areas and industry
editCities located on the Highveld includeJohannesburg,Pretoria,Bloemfontein,Vereeniging,Welkom,Carletonville,and the cities of theWest RandandEast Rand.The diamond-mining city ofKimberleylies on the border of the Highveld and the southeastern Kalahari.
About half of thegoldever produced in the world has been mined on the Highveld since 1880. The largest deposits are located in the Witwatersrand, which centres on Johannesburg, with smaller deposits in the northern Free State near Welkom andVirginia.The Highveld is also exceedingly rich indiamonds,coal,vanadium,andmanganese.
The pollution in this region is also very high principally due to coalthermal power stationsproducingnitrogen oxideandsulfur dioxide.[4][5]
Agricultureon the Highveld is generally dominated by extensivegrainproduction and the grazing ofbeef cattle,with more intensive production ofmaize,wheat,sorghum,citrus fruits,groundnuts,sunflowers,andvegetables,occurring in irrigated areas and farmland closer to urban areas. The peat base of thegrasslandacts as a natural filter, providing sources of clean water.
Flora
editNaturally occurring vegetation in the Highveld consists of different types of well-establishedgrasslanddepending on the varying amounts of rainfall across the area: subtropical and temperategrassland,with truesavannahnot dominating the ecosystem until more tropical latitudes. The major grass species areHyparrhenia hirtaandSporobolus pyramidalisand among these are other grasses and herbs. Trees and shrubs never thrived due to the frequent fires that occurred in the dry season and the heavy grazing (once by wild animals and now bylivestock).
Fauna
editThe Highveld is home to a number of endangered animals, includingstraw-coloured fruit bats;Africa's largest snake, the African rock python (Python sebae);mountain zebras;and South Africa's national bird, theblue crane(Anthropoides paradiseus). The only endemic bird species isBotha's lark(Spizocorys fringillaris) and the two endemic mammals – theFree State pygmy mouse(Mus orangiae) and therough-haired golden mole(Chrysospalax villosa). As well as the python, other reptiles include theNile crocodile(Crocodylus niloticus),Nile monitor(Varanus niloticus), rock monitor (Varanus albigularis), andgiant girdled lizardor sungazer (Smaug giganteus).
Threats and preservation
editLike so many areas of grassland all over the world, the Highveld is excellent agricultural land and most of the area has been converted for farming. The grassland areas now remaining in the natural state are in various nature reserves, which, although a small portion of the Highveld, are still the largest areas of remaining grassland in South Africa.The protected areas includeSuikerbosrand Nature Reserve,[6]Verloren Valei Nature Reserve,Nooitgedacht Dam Nature Reserve,Bronkhorstspruit DamNature Reserve,Vaal DamNature Reserve, andKoppies Dam Nature ReservesandWillem Pretorius Game Reserve.[7]
Popular culture
edit- The Highveld is featured inRudyard Kipling'sJust So Stories,"How the Leopard Got His Spots".
See also
edit- Witwatersrand basin– Ridge of erosion-resistant rock in South Africa
- Vredefort impact structure– Largest verified impact structure on Earth, about 2 billion years old
- Transvaal Basin– Geological basin of the Kaapvaal craton
- Lowveld– Type of rural landscape in South Africa
References
edit- ^Encyclopædia Britannica; Macropaedia Vol 17, p. 66. (1974) Helen Hemingway Bento Publishers, Chicago.
- ^Dictionary of South African English (1993) Oxford University Press, Cape Town
- ^abAtlas of Southern Africa p. 13 (1984) Reader's Digest & the Directorate of Surveys and Mapping
- ^"Dans l'Afrique du Sud charbonnière, la population est prisonnière d'une pollution mortelle"[In South Africa, the population is trapped in deadly pollution].Le Monde(in French). 26 June 2019.Retrieved26 June2019.
- ^"Pollution and smog plague lives on South Africa's Highveld".The South African.29 June 2019.Retrieved29 June2019.
- ^"Department of Agriculture and Rural Development".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-09-19.
- ^"Highveld grasslands".Terrestrial Ecoregions.World Wildlife Fund.Retrieved2012-09-29.