50 Unbelievable Fun Facts About Table Mountain, South Africa
The table is packed with many fun facts about Table Mountain! Table Mountain is a popular tourist destination, with many people taking the cable car or climbing to the summit. This article will reveal many more fun facts about Table Mountain. Table Mountain is home to about 8200 plant species, with fynbos accounting for over 80% of them. There are less than 1 500 plant species on the British Isles, which is three-and-a-half times the area of the Table Mountain National Park, TMNP.
Fynbos is the most frequent vegetation type in the TMNP (meaning fine bush). Fynbos is fire-dependent vegetation that requires a 15-year burn to encourage new growth and maintain the health of plant and animal communities. However, owing to the close proximity of residences to Table Mountain, vegetation-friendly fires are frequently extinguished.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway transports passengers from the lower cable station on Tafelberg Road, which is 302 meters (991 feet) above sea level, to the plateau at the summit, which is 1,067 meters above sea level (3,501 ft). To the north, the higher cable station gives views of Cape Town, Table Bay, Lion’s Head, and Robben Island, and to the west and south, the Atlantic seaboard.
The Table Mountain National Park’s mountains and oceans are considered as the regional tourism economy’s driving force, contributing R 377 million to South Africa’s gross domestic product from 1998 to 2003.
A popular “Contour Path” runs from Constantia Nek to the front of Devil’s Peak and the north face of Table Mountain, passing through Cecilia Park, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Newlands Forest, and then above Groote Schuur Estate, past the King’s Blockhouse, at the north-east corner of Devil’s Peak, immediately below the Mowbray Ridge cliffs, and ending at the boulevard.
Fynbos becomes moribund after 20 to 30 years if it does not burn, which might lead to the extinction of several species, one of the fun facts about Table Mountain. Many of the plants found on Table Mountain are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on the planet. There are 1 406 vulnerable plant species, 300 of which are endangered or severely endangered, and 29 have already gone extinct.
Locals and tourists alike enjoy hiking on Table Mountain, which offers a variety of paths of various complexity. Direct ascents from the city side are limited due to the high cliffs around the top. The popular and easy direct approach to the top is through Platteklip Canyon, a notable gorge up the center of the main table, including many fun facts about Table Mountain.
The course takes around 2.5 hours to complete, although it can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on one’s physical level. Because it is located on the north-facing side of the mountain, with practically no shade during the 600 m ascent from Tafelberg Road to the Table Mountain plateau, this path is quite hot in the summer. In this article, we have featured 50 fun facts about Table Mountain.
Fun facts about Table Mountain
Let’s browse for 50 awesome fun facts about Table Mountain
1. Table Mountain (lit.’sea-emerging’; Afrikaans: Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain in South Africa that serves as a famous landmark overlooking Cape Town.
2. The mountain is part of the Table Mountain National Park and used to be part of the territories of Khoe-speaking tribes like the Uriaes (the “High Clan”). It supports a diverse range of unique animals and flora.
3. It is a component of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), which was established in 1998. It was previously known as Cape Peninsula National Park.
4. The size of Table Mountain is roughly 25 000 hectares.
5. South African National Parks manages 21 national parks, including Table Mountain.
6. Table Mountain is one of the world’s oldest mountains, dating back 240 million years (The Alps are a relatively youthful 40-million years old).
7. Table Mountain was three times taller than it is now, in its eroded residual form.
8. The major feature of Table Mountain is a flat plateau that runs for about three kilometers (2 miles) from side to side and is surrounded by dramatic cliffs.
9. The plateau, which is bordered on the east by Devil’s Peak and on the west by Lion’s Head, provides a spectacular backdrop to Cape Town.
10. The natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbor is formed by the vast swath of hilly heights, which, along with Signal Hill, create the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbor.
11. Maclear’s Beacon, a stone cairn constructed in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey, marks the highest point on Table Mountain, which is located near the eastern end of the plateau.
12. Cape Town would have been established in the safer natural port of Langebaan on the West Coast if not for the freshwater supply from Table Mountain’s Platteklip stream.
13. The Great White Shark, the Southern Right Whale, the Elephant Seal, the Humpback Whale, and the Minke Whale all call the Table Mountain Marine Protected Area home.
14. In the Cape of Good Hope Section of the TMNP, there is a lake that has no rivers flowing into it and is solely maintained filled by subterranean water.
15. The world’s greatest concentration of Peregrine Falcons — a cliff-roosting aerial predator that kills birds in mid-flight – can be found on Table Mountain.
16. It stands 1,086 meters (3,563 feet) above sea level, roughly 19 meters (62 feet) higher than the plateau’s westernmost cable station.
17. The main plateau’s cliffs are separated by Platteklip Gorge (“Flat Stone Gorge”), which allows an easy and straight approach to the top and was used by António de Saldanha on the mountain’s first recorded ascent in 1503.
18. On the slopes of Devil’s Peak, within Table Mountain National Park, lies the Rhodes Memorial, which was constructed in 1912. Sir Herbert Baker built this National Monument as a monument to Cecil John Rhodes, who became one of the world’s most prominent mining magnates at the age of 34.
19. Table Mountain is the most frequented of all National Parks since it is completely surrounded by a city and hence divided by urban development and privately held property.
20. It attracts 4.2 million visitors each year.
21. Table Mountain rises to a height of 1 086 meters (3 563 ft) above sea level. Maclear’s Beacon is named after the man who constructed a stone cairn at the location in 1865. A trigonometric survey was the reason for the beacon’s construction.
22. Orographic clouds, which arise when a southeasterly breeze is directed up the mountain’s slopes into cooler air, condense to create the so-called “table cloth” of cloud, frequently blanket the mountain’s flat summit.
23. The “Table cloth of cloud” phenomenon is said to have been caused by a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate named Van Hunks. When the tablecloth is seen, it represents the competition.
24. Table Mountain is one of the world’s New Seven Wonders.
25. Table Mountain is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom World Heritage Site, which is rich in floral biodiversity.
26. The city of Cape Town’s flag and logo both include Table Mountain.
27. The Table Mountain’s Cape Point section is rich in cultural and natural history, and it is one of South Africa’s most popular tourist attractions.
28. The rocks near the mountain’s base are shale, whereas those on the western slope are Cape granite.
29. In Simonstown, the Boulders Penguin Colony is home to a rare and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of just a handful in the globe, and the location has become well-known and a popular tourist attraction across the world.
30. Table Mountain is located at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that runs across the Cape Peninsula and ends 50 kilometers (30 miles) south to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point.
31. The “Back Table” is a rocky “plateau” to the south of Table Mountain that is somewhat lower in height than the Table Mountain Plateau (at around 1,000 m or 3,300 ft).
32. The “Back Table” stretches for about 6 kilometers south to the Constantia Nek-Hout Bay valley.
33. On the Cape Peninsula, Chacma Baboons graze for seafood.
34. The two lighthouses that decorate Africa’s most south-western tip may be seen from Cape Point. One of these is still in use and may be reached on foot or by the Flying Dutchman funicular;
35. Hiking, surfing, angling, picnicking, beaching, and cycling are all available at the Cape of Good Hope part of the TMNP, which is set against the beautiful background of the Cape Peninsula’s mountains and coastline.
36. The majority of the world’s significant caves are formed of limestone, but Table Mountain is unique in that it has many huge cave systems formed of sandstone. The Wynberg Caves, located on the Back Table, not far from the Jeep Track, amid hills overlooking Orange Kloof and Hout Bay, are the largest system.
37. Because of its flat summit, Table Mountain was given its name.
38. The Twelve Apostles run from Kloof Nek (the saddle between Table Mountain and Lion’s Head) to Hout Bay on the Atlantic side of the Back Table.
39. The eastern side of the Peninsula’s mountain range stretches from Devil’s Peak to the eastern side of Table Mountain (Erica and Fernwood Buttresses), and the Back Table to Constantia Nek, lacks a single name.
40. Groote Schuur Estate, Newlands Forest, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cecilia Park, and Constantia Nek are the names of the conservation areas on its lower slopes.
41. Table Mountain is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Cape Town, with over 800,000 visitors each year.
42. The rock hyrax or dassie, a mammal that looks like a guinea pig, is the most frequent species found on the mountain.
43. There are now over 350 routes up to the summit of Table Mountain.
44. The cableway that takes visitors to the summit was constructed in 1929. The first cable vehicle had a capacity of 25 persons. It can now transport 60 people to the summit.
45. The Back Table, a lower portion of Table Mountain to the south of the main, northern plateau, is used by longer routes to the top (which constitutes “Table Mountain” as seen from the Cape Town City Centre and Table Bay).
46. The indigenous Khoisan people of the Cape gave the mountain chain the name Hoerikwaggo, which means ‘Mountain in the Sea.’
47. Signal Hill, at the very northern end of the TMNP’s terrestrial area, provides spectacular views of the city and harbor. The noon-day gun in Cape Town is fired from this location.
48. The combination of the warm Agulhas and the chilly Benguela currents is responsible for Table Mountain’s extraordinary marine biodiversity.
49. Table Mountain has over 160 kilometers of bicycle trails. Day permits or yearly activity licenses are required to obtain access.
50. Table Mountain is considered to be one of the world’s oldest peaks. The mountain’s rocks are estimated to be 600 million years old.
We feel you have learned a lot and enjoyed these fun facts about Table Mountain!
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