Drakensberg Range

Drakensberg Range (dräˈkənzbûrg, Afrik. –bĕrkh) [key], South Africa and Lesotho, extending 700 mi (1,127 km) NE–SW in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and Free State. The Zulu name of the range is uKhahlamba [barrier of spears]. Thabana-Ntlenyana (11,425 ft/3,482 m), in Lesotho, is the highest point in the range and in S Africa. The mountains are part of the escarpment that forms the southern edge of the central plateau of Africa. Thousands of San rock paintings, some 3,000 years old, are found in uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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