Table Mountain

South African landscape with Table Mountain and Lion's Head

Table Mountain (English: Table Mountain ) in the South African Cape Town is located in the northern part of a mountain range on the approximately 52 km long and up to 16 km wide Cape Peninsula, at the southern end lies the Cape of Good Hope. He shapes the silhouette of Cape Town. The highest point of Table Mountain is Maclear 's Beacon ( Maclears signal fire) at the northeastern end of the rocky plateau with 1087 m. Table Mountain has a total area of approximately 6500 hectares.

Geology

Table Mountain consists mainly of white, quartzitic Table Mountain sandstone, which rests on a granite slate base, the so-called Malmesbury Cond It is approximately 430 million years old. Its present appearance is the result of wind and water erosion. Large areas owe their forms of karstification ( SiO2 Karst ). Through gaps and cracks in the sandstone water could penetrate and shape the rock. This resulted in large sandstone caves.

Geography

Table Mountain is within the City of Cape Town and is the center of the city. For massif of Table Mountain, Devil 's Peak are at 1000 m altitude, the Lion's Head with 668 m height, the Signal Hill with 350 m height and the mountains of the Twelve Apostles with altitudes 780-800 m. In good weather it is visible also in the West Coast National Park about 70 km away.

Nature

On the Table Mountain there is a great diversity of plants. Some 1,400 plant species have been identified; which is more than are to be found across the UK. Many of them are endemic, ie found nowhere else in the world to find. " Fynbos " is called the species-rich Mediterranean maquis Cape. Alone, the number of the Erika plants and proteas - which also includes South Africa's national flower, the King Protea counts - in the hundreds.

The fauna of Table Mountain include rock hyrax and crows, who live in the clefts of sandstone and leave in search of food in the season mainly to tourists, where they eat photogenic out of hand.

Climate

Moist air masses that flow over Table Mountain as the first obstacle from the sea to form very often the so-called Tablecloth ( German: " tablecloth " ): Add to the rise (and thus cooling) forced air masses forming clouds, while the in northern and western slopes of the mountain makes a dry warm down wind felt. Mostly this phenomenon is in the South African summer.

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Table Mountain is one of the most visited tourist attractions in South Africa. Since 1929, a funicular addition to a large number of trails of varying difficulty leads to Table Mountain - built this originally by Adolf Bleichert & Co. and now repeatedly renewed Table Mountain Aerial Cableway overcomes a height difference of 700 meters. The aerial tramway was last rebuilt by Doppelmayr and equipped with two ROTAIR cabins of the CWA for 64 people and the cabin crew that rotate while driving around itself. The cars run on two track ropes and moved by a traction cable. On the 1200 -meter course there are no restraints. The cable car can carry 900 passengers per hour.

Table Mountain is part of the company founded in May 1998 Table Mountain National Park.