Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
CAPE COLONY (officially, " PROVINCE O...
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: CAL-CAR
del.icio.us it!
|
CAPE See also:COLONY (officially, " See also:PROVINCE OF THE CAPE OP Goon See also:HOPE ") , the most See also:southern See also:part of See also:Africa, a See also:British See also:possession since 18o6 . It was named from the promontory on its See also:south-See also:west See also:coast discovered in 1488 by the Portuguese navigator See also:Diaz, and near which the first See also:settlement of Europeans (Dutch) was made in 1652 . From 1872 to 1910 a self-governing See also:colony, in the last-named See also:year it entered the See also:Union of South Africa as an See also:original See also:province . Cape Colony as such then ceased to exist . In the See also:present See also:article, however, the word " colony " is retained . The " provinces " referred to are the colonial divisions existing before the passing of the South Africa See also:Act 1909, except in the sections Constitution and See also:Government and See also:Law and See also:Justice, where the changes made by the See also:establishment of the Union are set forth . (See also SouTH AFRICA.) Boundaries and See also:Area.—The coast-See also:line extends from the mouth of the See also:Orange (28° 38' S . 16° 27' E.) on the W. to the mouth of the Umtamvuna See also:river (31° 4' S . 30° 12' E.) on the E., a distance of over 1300 M . Inland the Cape is bounded E. and N.E. by See also:Natal, See also:Basutoland, Orange See also:Free See also:State and the See also:Transvaal; N. by the See also:Bechuanaland See also:Protectorate and N.W. by See also:Great See also:Namaqualand (See also:German S.W . Africa) . From N.W. to S.E. the colony has a breadth of 800 m., from S.W. to N.E .
750 M
.
Its area is 276,995 sq. m.—more than five times the See also:size of See also:England
.
Walfish See also:Bay (q.v.) on the west coast See also:north of the Orange river is a detached part of Cape Colony
.
See also:Physical Features.—The outstanding orographic feature of the See also:country is the See also:terrace-formation of the See also:land, which rises from See also:sea-level by well-marked steps to the immense See also:plateau which forms seven-eighths of South Africa
.
The coast region varies in width from a few See also:miles to as many as fifty, being narrowest on the south-See also:east See also:side
.
The western coast line, from the mouth of the Orange to the Cape See also:peninsula, runs in a See also:general south-east direction with no deep indentations See also:save just south of 330 S. where, in Saldanha Bay, is spacious and sheltered anchorage
.
The See also:shore is barren, consisting largely of stretches of See also: 20° E. the southernmost point of the See also:African See also:continent is reached . Hence the coast, now very slightly indented, runs north by east until at Algoa Bay (25° 45' E.) it takes a distinct north-east See also:bend, and so continues beyond the confines of the colony . Along the southern and eastern shore the country is better watered, more fertile and more picturesque than along the western seaboard . Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) stands 84o ft. above the sea; Cape Agulhas 455 ft . Farther on the See also:green-clad sides of the Uiteniquas Mountains are plainly visible from the sea, and as the traveller by See also:boat proceeds eastward, stretches of See also:forest are seen and See also:numbers of mountain streams carrying their See also:waters to the ocean . In this part of the coast the only good natural See also:harbour is the spacious See also:estuary of the Knysna river in 23° 5' E . The entrance, which is over a See also:bar with 14 ft. minimum See also:depth of See also:water, is between two bold See also:sandstone cliffs, called the Heads . Off the coast are a few small islands, mainly See also:mere rocks within the bay . None is far from the mainland . The largest are Dassen See also:Island, 20 M . S. of Saldanha Bay, and Robben Island, at the entrance to Table Bay . St Croix is a See also:rock in Algoa Bay, upon which Diaz is stated to have erected a See also:cross .
A number of small islands off the coast of German South-West Africa, chiefly valuable for their See also:guano deposits, also belong to Cape Colony (See See also:ANGRA PEQUENA)
.
Ocean Currents.—Off the east and south shores of the colony the See also:Mozambique or Agulhas current sweeps south-westward with force sufficient to set up a back See also:drift
.
This back drift or
Ir
See also:counter current flowing north-east is See also:close in shore and is taken See also:advantage of by vessels going from Cape Town to Natal
.
On the west coast the current runs northwards
.
It is a deflected stream from the west drift of the " roaring forties " and coming from See also:Antarctic regions is much colder than the Agulhas current
.
Off the southern point of the continent the Agulhas current meets the west drift, giving rise to alternate streams of warm and See also:cold water
.
This part of the coast, subject alike to strong See also:westerly and south-easterly winds, is often tempestuous, as is witnessed by the name,
corruption of a Hottentot word meaning dry, arid
.
Having crossed the Little See also:Karroo, from which rise See also:minor mountain chains, a second high range has to be climbed
.
This done the traveller finds himself on another tableland—the Great Karroo
.
It has an See also:average width of 8o m. and is about 350 M. See also:long
.
Northwards the Karroo (q.v.) is bounded- by the ramparts of the great inner tableland, of which only a comparatively small portion is in Cape Colony
.
This sequence of See also: W . PROTECTORATE ~ 5° ~°° z°° ny ! '• . e,';- A F R 1 C A o ? t J CAPE Courses o intermittent See also:rivers shown thus: f \ \ a `\\ A `\\ y\v \ \~ \ \ - Q e, u a 1- e o See also:Railways shown thus:- ++^~^~ prt E R ( ~o1°Q~o~, ~, -~ T R A ~ ur A Johan Z t" e~Slt English Mites '\\ Enia ' Bethlehe Upmgt s~ , G r ,i} ~ ,., G R A d ~I c~± adys m 1olluth G eat Namaqua \ Land 0, - E N R I ~ mfont Modde R . BI Yort ?. •"' "• ~r ~, . ~r (^-• yq in ~ '\ -a ~l~ Bushni anla;nd,A: d L ~ \ QL ...~v ~qa l~ ~y,~ I l d G' l No iep Vioot C O aclfu~ end O y ^~ Fa ith "s Priesa.rHopetown\v -' _R . _, It aQn y 3 ° - ' l See also:Lea ~ .. 08 % o ..J"' ~-S S ,i 9 G 1 a .~ Fw arnarvon Bzitsl• n Spnngton In r y r t'' 4` ~ See also:fir. y: ~~f ~ ~'+ise Commistioners See also:age r 0~p~3 ?a See also:Salt n°See also:Pan 't De AarN \ . - h > I) ~Al~ert n . BuNunrgher /ter'„ l'n5 ft3 __ , Belyr o r N { l B t r ~ p /11 tLC ttVYee /~ `• ?
~~ - ) BFI• l ('
Olifun R
.
_ ~.r {lam
.
'TA
nr~ T S
Iy el saes Sp~' iS2~`
petd aj
y~
e~~1'a.d~""s q
„, O 4 9~ See also:fit; `n , ~~p 1QYUd5^ eau fd 4 i , - A fc \~ ~' g ya4Y y0 `'h; l
'
..
C R lit l ~~ I• BJ~n, t ~t C het Ct`~~ w 0
CJ Saldanh 1 h W to h -~ I '
..
Y YO a'.~x -
..
. , 1.~ ~–• '= hPPlaa R E_ OP
$ °•+ `alYi
e
yl ~,`°r •, „•~
r
~nr r r jai ~ssj~°s 1esh - }~ 'R i
D . e
!
a f ?>
.
~,eaon~
N
. u
Rub/6; 8'
Simons Town ~
o~ 0pe
C
zo° See also:Longitude 30°
East 25 of See also:Greenwich
Emory See also: These mountains are the supporting walls of successive terraces . When the steep southern sides of the ranges nearest the sea are ascended the hills are often found to be flat-topped with a See also:gentle slope northward giving on to a plateau rarely more than • 40 M. wide . This plateau is called the Southern or Little Karroo, Karroo being a(4) second range of hills, (5) second plateau (the Great Karroo), (6) See also:main See also:chain of mountains guarding, (7) the vast interior tableland —is characteristic of the greater part of the colony but is not clearly marked in the south-east and north-west See also:borders . The innermost, and most lofty, chain of mountains follows a See also:curve almost identical with that of the coast at a general distance of 120 M. from the ocean . It is known in different places under different names, and the same name being also often given to one or more of the coast ranges the nomenclature of the mountains is confusing (see the See also:map) . The most elevated portion of the inner-most range, the See also:Drakensberg (q.v.) follows the curve of the coast from south to north-east . Only the southern slopes of the range are in Cape Colony, the highest peaks—over 10,000 ft.—being in Basutoland and Natal . Going westward from the Drakensber . the rampart is known successively as the Stormberg, Zuurberg, Sneeuwberg and Nieuwveld mountains . These four ranges See also:face directly south . In the Sneeuwberg range is See also:Compass See also:Berg, 85oo ft. above the sea, the highest point in the colony . In the Nieuwveld are heights of over 6000 ft .
The Komsberg range, which joins the Nieuwveld on the east, sweeps from the south to the north-west and is followed by the Roggeveld mountains, which face the western seaboard
.
North of the Roggeveld the interior plateau approaches closer to the sea than in southern Cape Colony
.
The slope of the plateau being also westward, the mountain rampart is less elevated, and north of 32° S. few points attain 5000 ft
.
The coast ranges are here, in Namaqualand and the See also:district of See also:Van Rhyns Dorp, but the See also:outer edges of the inner range
.
They attain their highest point in the Kamies Berg, 5511 ft. above the sea
.
Northward the Orange river, marking the frontier of the colony, cuts its way through the hills to the See also:Atlantic
.
From the Olifants river on the west to the Kei river on the east the series of parallel ranges, which are the walls of the terraces between the inner tableland and the sea, are clearly traceable
.
Their general direction is always that of the coast, and they are cut across by rugged See also:gorges or kloofs, through which the mountain streams make their way towards the sea
.
The two See also:chief chains, to distinguish them from the inner chain already described, may be called the coast and central chains
.
Each has many See also:local names
.
West to east the central chain is known as the Cedarberg, Groote Zwarteberg (highest point 6988 ft.), Groote river, Winterhoek (with Cockscomb mountain 5773 ft. high) and Zuurberg ranges
.
The Zuurberg, owing to the north-east trend of the shore, becomes, east of See also:Port See also: In this range the Great See also:Winter Berg attains a height of 7800 ft . The coast chain is represented west to east by the Olifants mountains (with Great Winterhoek, 6618 ft. high), Drakenstein, Zonder Einde, Langeberg (highest point 5614 ft.), Attaquas, Uiteniquas and various other ranges . In consequence of the north-east trend of the coast, already noted, several of these ranges end in the sea in bold bluffs . From the coast plain rise many See also:short ranges of considerable See also:elevation, and on the east side of False Bay parallel to Table Bay range is a mountain chain with heights of 4000 and 5000 ft . East of the Kei river the whole of the country within Cape Colony, save the narrow seaboard, is mountainous . The southern part is largely occupied with spurs of the Stormberg; the See also:northern portion, Griqualand East and Pondoland, with the flanks of the Drakensberg . Several peaks exceed 7000 ft. in height . Zwart Berg, near, the Basuto-Natal frontier, rises 7615 ft. above the sea . See also:Mount See also:Currie, farther south, is 7296 ft. high . The See also:Witte See also:Bergen (over 5000 ft. high) are an inner spur of the Drakensberg running through the See also:Herschel district . That part of the inner tableland of South Africa- which is in the colony has an average elevation of 3000 ft., being higher in the eastern than in the western districts . It consists of wide See also:rolling treeless plains scarred by the beds of many rivers, often dry for a great part of the year . The tableland is broken by the Orange river, which traverses its whole length . North of the river the plateau slopes northward to a level sometimes as See also:low as 2000 ft . The country is of an even more desolate See also:character than south of the Orange (see BECHUANALAND) . Rising from the plains are chains of isolated flat-topped hills such as the Karree Bergen, the See also:Asbestos mountains and See also:Kuruman hills, comparatively unimportant ranges . Although the mountains present bold and picturesque outlines on their outward faces, the general aspect of the country north of the coast-lands, except in its south-eastern corner, is See also:bare and monotonous . The flat and See also:round-topped hills (kopjes), which are very numerous on the various plateaus, scarcely afford See also:relief to the See also:eye, which searches the See also:sun-scorched landscape, usually in vain, for running water . The See also:absence of water and of large trees is one of the most abiding impressions of the traveller . Yet the vastarid plains are covered with shallow beds of the richest soil, which only require the fertilizing See also:power of water to render them available for pasture or See also:agriculture . After the periodical rains, the Karroo and the great plains of Bushmanland are converted into vast See also:fields of grass and flowering shrubs, but the summer sun reduces them again to a barren and burnt-up aspect, The See also:pastoral lands or velds are distinguished according to the nature of their herbage as " sweet " or " sour." Shallow sheets of water termed vleis, usually brackish, accumulate after heavy See also:rain at many places in the plateaus; in the dry seasons these spots, where the soil is not excessively saline, are covered with See also:rich grass and afford favourite grazing land for See also:cattle . Only in the southern coast-land of the colony is there a soil and moisture See also:supply suited to forest growth . Rivers.—The inner chain of mountains forms the See also:watershed of the colony . North of this great rampart the country drains to the Orange (q.v.), which flows from east to west nearly across the continent . For a considerable distance, both in its upper and lower courses, the river forms the northern frontier of Cape Colony . In the See also:middle See also:section, where both See also:banks are in the colony, the Orange receives from the north-east its greatest tributary, the See also:Vaal (q.v.) . The Vaal, within the boundaries of the colony, is increased by the Harts river from the north-east and the Riet river from the south-east, whilst just within the colony the Riet is joined by the Modder . All these tributaries of the Orange flow, in their lower courses, through the eastern part of Griqualand West, the only well-watered portion of the colony north of the mountains . From the north, below the Vaal confluence, the Nosob, Molopo and Kuruman, intermittent streams which See also:traverse Bechuanaland, send their occasional surplus waters to the Orange . In general these rivers lose them-selves in some vlei in the See also:desert land . The Molopo and Nosob See also:mark the frontier between the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Cape; the Kuruman lies wholly within the colony . From the south a number of streams, the Brak and Ongers, the Zak and Olifants Vlei (the two last uniting to See also:form the See also:Hartebeest), flow north towards the Orange in its middle course . Dry for a great part of the year, these streams rarely add anything to the See also:volume of the Orange . South of the inner chain the drainage is See also:direct to the Atlantic or See also:Indian Oceans . Rising at considerable elevations, the coast rivers fall thousands of feet in comparatively short courses, and many are little else than mountain torrents . They make their way down the mountain sides through great gorges, and are noted in the eastern part of the country for their extremely sinuous course, Impetuous and magnificent streams after heavy rain, they become in the summer mere rivulets, or even dry up altogether . In almost every instance the mouths of the rivers are obstructed by sand bars . Thus, as is the See also:case of the Orange river also, they are, with rare exceptions, unnavigable . Omitting small streams, the coast rivers running to the Atlantic are the See also:Buffalo, Olifants and Berg . It may be pointed out here that the same name is repeatedly applied throughout South Africa to different streams, Buffalo, Olifants (elephants') and Groote (great) being favourite designations . They all occur more than once in Cape Colony . Of the west coast rivers, the Buffalo, about 125 M. long, the most northern and least important, flows through Little Namaqualand . The Olifants (150 m.), which generally contains a See also:fair depth of water, rises in the Winterhoek mountains and flows north between the Cedarberg and Olifants ranges . The Doorn, a stream with a somewhat parallel but more easterly course, joins the Olifants about 50 M. above its mouth, the Atlantic being reached by a semicircular sweep to the south-west . The Berg river (125 m.) rises in the district of See also:French Hoek and flows through fertile country, in a north-westerly direction, to the sea at St . See also:Helena Bay . It is navigable for a few miles from its mouth . On the south coast the most westerly stream of any size is the Breede (about 165 m. long), so named from its low banks and broad channel .
Rising in the Warm Bokkeveld, it pierces the mountains by See also:Mitchell's Pass, flows by the picturesque towns of See also:Ceres and See also:Worcester, and receives, beyond the last-named See also:place,
the waters which descend from the famous Hex River Pass
.
The Breede thence follows the line of the Langeberg mountains as far as See also:Swellendam, where it turns south, and traversing the coast plain, reaches the sea in St See also:Sebastian Bay
.
From its mouth the river is navigable by small vessels for from 30 to 40 M
.
East of the Breede the following rivers, all having their rise on the inner mountain chain, are passed in the See also:order named:—Gouritz (200 m.),1 Gamtoos (290 m.), See also:Sunday (190 m.),Great Salt (230 m.), Kei (15o M.), Bashee (90 m.) and Umzimvuba or St See also: The Gamtoos is also formed by the junction of two streams, the Kouga, an unimportant river which rises in the coast hills, and the Groote river . This, the Groote river of Cape Colony, has its rise in the Nieuwveld near Nels Poort, being known in its upper course as the Salt river . Flowing south-east, it is joined by the Kariega on the See also:left, and breaking through the escarpment of the Great Karroo, on the lower level changes its name to the Groote, the hills which overhang it to the north-east being known as Groote River Heights . Bending south, the Groote river passes through the coast chain by Cockscomb mountain, and being joined by the Kouga, flows on as the Gamtoos to the sea at St See also:Francis Bay . Sunday river does not, like so many of the Cape streams, See also:change its name on passing from the Great to the Little Karroo and again on reaching the coast plain . It rises in the Sneeuwberg north-west of Graaff Reinet, flows south-east through one of the most fertile districts of the Great Karroo, which it pierces at the western end of the Zuurberg (of the coast chain), and reaches the ocean in Algoa Bay . Great Salt river is formed by the junction of the Kat with the Great See also:Fish river, which is the main stream . Several small streams rising in the Zuurberg (of the inner chain) unite to form the Great Fish river which passes through See also:Cradock, and crossing the Karroo, changes its general direction from south to east, and is joined by the Kooner (or Koonap) and Kat, both of which rise in the Winterberg . Thence, as the Great Salt river, it winds south to the sea . Great Fish river is distinguished for the sudden and great rise of its waters after heavy rain and for its exceedingly sinuous course . Thus near Cookhouse railway station it makes an almost circular bend of 20 m., the ends being scarcely 2 M. apart, in which distance it falls 200 ft . Although, like the other streams which cross the Karroo, the river is sometimes dry in its upper course, it has an estimated See also:annual See also:discharge of 51,724,000,000 cubic ft .
The See also:head-streams of the Kei, often called the Great Kei, rise in the Stormberg, and the river, which resembles the Great Fish in its many twists, flows in a general south-east direction through mountainous country until it reaches the coast plain
.
Its mouth is 40 M. in a direct line north-east of East See also:London
.
In
The distances given after the names of rivers indicate the length of the river valleys, including those of the main upper See also:branch
.
In nearly all instances the rivers, owing to their sinuous course, are much longer.the See also:history of the Cape the Kei plays an important part as long marking the boundary between the colony and the See also:independent Kaffir tribes
.
(For the Umzimvuba and other See also:Transkei rivers see See also:KAFFRARIA.)
Of the rivers rising in the coast chain the Knysna (30 m.), Kowie (40 m.), Keiskama (75 m.) and Buffalo (45 m.) may be mentioned
.
The Knysna rises in the Uiteniquas hills and is of importance as a feeder of the See also:lagoon or estuary of the same name, one of the few good harbours on the coast
.
The banks of the Knysna are very picturesque
.
Kowie river, which rises in the Zuurberg mountains near See also:Graham's Town, is also noted for the beauty of its banks
.
At its mouth is Port See also:Alfred
.
The water over the bar permits the entrance of vessels of lo to 12 ft. See also:draught
.
The Buffalo river rises in the hilly country north of See also: The frequency of " fontein " among the place names of the colony bears See also:evidence of the number of springs in the country . They are often found on the flat-topped hills which dot the Karroo . Besides the See also:ordinary springs, See also:mineral and thermal springs are found in several places . Lakes and Caves.—Cape Colony does not possess any lakes properly so called . There are, however, numerous natural basins which, filled after heavy rain, rapidly dry up, leaving an incrustation of salt on the ground, whence their name of salt pans . The largest, See also:Commissioner's Salt Part, in the. arid north-west district, is 18 to 20 M. in circumference . Besides these pans there are in the interior plateaus many shallow pools or vleis whose extent varies according to the dryness or moisture of the See also:climate . West of Knysna, and separated from the seashore by a sandbank only, are a series of five vleis, turned in See also:flood times into one See also:sheet of water and sending occasional spills to the ocean . These vleis are known collectively as " the lakes." In the Zwarteberg of the central chain are the Cango Caves, a remarkable series of caverns containing many thousand of See also:stalactites and stalagmites . These caves, distant 20 M. from Oudtshoorn, have been formed in a See also:dolomite See also:limestone See also:bed about Boo ft. thick . There are over See also:Ito See also:separate See also:chambers, the caverns extending nearly a mile in a straight line . Climate.—The climate of Cape Colony is noted for its healthiness . Its chief characteristics are the dryness and clearness of the See also:atmosphere and the considerable daily range in temperature; whilst nevertheless the extremes of See also:heat and cold are rarely encountered . The mean annual temperature over the greater part of the country is under 65° F . The chief agents in determining the climate are the vast masses of water in the southern hemisphere and the elevation of the land . The large extent of ocean is primarily responsible for the lower temperature of the See also:air in places south of the tropics compared with that experienced in countries in the same See also:latitude north of the See also:equator . Thus Cape Town, about 340 S., has a mean temperature, 63° F.; which corresponds with that of the French and See also:Italian See also:Riviera, in 41° to 430 N . For the dryness of the atmosphere the elevation of the country is responsible . The east and south-east winds, which contain most moisture, dissipate their strength against the Drakensberg and other mountain ranges which guard the interior . Thus while the coast-lands, especially in the south-east, enjoy an ample rainfall, the winds as they advance west and north contain less and less moisture, so that over the larger part of the country drought is common and severe . Along the valley of the lower Orange rain does not fall for years together . The drought is increased in intensity by the occasional hot dry See also:wind from the desert region in the north, though this wind is usually followed by violent thunderstorms . Whilst the general characteristics of the climate are as here outlined, in a country of so large an area as Cape Colony there are many See also:variations in different districts . In the coast-lands the daily range of the thermometer is less marked than in the interior and the humidity of the atmosphere is much greater, Nevertheless, the west coast north of the Olifants river is practically rainless and there is great difference between See also:day and See also:night temperatures, this part of the coast sharing the characteristics of the interior plateau . The See also:division of the year into four seasons is not clearly marked save in the Cape peninsula, where exceptional conditions prevail . In general the seasons are but two—summer and winter, summer lasting from See also:September to See also:April and winter filling up the See also:rest of the year . The greatest heat is experienced in See also:December, See also:January and February, whilst See also:June and See also:July are the coldest months . In the western part of the colony the winter is the See also:rainy See also:season, in the eastern part the chief rains come is summer . A line See also:drawn from Port Elizabeth north-west across the Karroo in the direction of Walfish Bay roughly divides the regions of the winter and summer rains . All the country north of the central mountain chain and west of 23° E., including the western part of the Great Karroo, has a mean annual rainfall of under 12 in . East of the 23° E. the plateaus have a mean annual rainfall ranging from 12 to 25 in . The western coast-lands and the Little Karroo have a rainfall of from ro to 20 in.; the Cape peninsula by exception having an average yearly rainfall of 40 in . (see CAPE TowN) . Along the south coast and in the south-east the mean annual rainfall exceeds 25 in., and is over 50 in. at some stations . The rain falls, generally, in heavy and sudden storms, and frequently washes away the See also:surface soil . The mean annual temperature of the coast region, which, as stated, is 63° F. at Cape Town, increases to the east, the coast not only trending north towards the equator but feeling the effect of the warm Mozambique or Agulhas current . On the Karroo the mean maximum temperature is 77° F., the mean minimum 490, the mean daily range about 27° . In summer the drought is severe, the heat during the day great, the nights cool and clear . In winter See also:frost at night is not uncommon . The climate of the northern plains is similar to that of the Karroo, but the extremes of cold and heat are greater . In the summer the shade temperature reaches r ro° F., whilst in winter nights I2° of frost have been registered . The hot westerly winds of summer make the air oppressive, though violent thunderstorms, in which form the northern districts receive most of their scanty rainfall, occasionally clear the atmosphere . Mirages are occasion-ally seen . The keen air, accompanied by the brilliant See also:sunshine, renders the winter climate very enjoyable . See also:Snow seldom falls in the coast region, but it lies on the higher mountains for three or four months in the year, and for as many days on the Karroo . Violent hailstorms, which do great damage, sometimes follow periods of drought . The most disagreeable feature of the climate of the colony is the abundance of dust, which seems to be blown by every wind, and is especially prevalent in the rainy season . That white men can thrive and See also:work in Cape Colony the history of South Africa amply demonstrates . Ten generations of settler& from northern See also:Europe have been See also:born, lived and died there, and the See also:race is as strong and vigorous as that from which it sprang . Malarial See also:fever is practically non-existent in Cape Colony, and diseases of the See also:chest are rare . (F . R . C.) See also:Geology.—The colony affords the typical development of the See also:geological See also:succession south of the See also:Zambezi . The following general arrangement has been determined: See also:Post-Cretaceous and See also:Recent . Cretaceous f Pondoland Cretaceous Series See also:Uitenhage Series Stormberg Series Beaufort Series Carboniferous Ecca Series to See also:Jurassic Dwyka Series Witteberg Series Bokkeveld Series Table Mountain Sandstone Series (Includes several independent' Archaean to Pre-Cape Rocks {l unfossiliferous formations of See also:Silurian(?) pre-Devonian age The general structure of the colony is See also:simple . It may be regarded as a shallow See also:basin occupied by the almost See also:horizontal rocks of the Karroo . These form the plains and plateaus of theinterior . Rocks of pre-Cape age rise from beneath them on the north and west; on the south and east the Lower Karroo and Cape systems are See also:bent up into See also:sharp folds, beneath which, but in quite limited areas, the pre-Cape rocks emerge . In the folded regions the strike conforms to the coastal outline on the south and east . Pre-Cape rocks occur in three regions, presenting a different development in each: North . West . South . Matsap Series Nieuwerust Beds Cango Beds Ongeluk Volcanic Series Ibiquas Beds See also:Malmesbury Griquatown Series Namaqualand See also:Schists and Beds 1 See also: |