Maria Moroka Nature Reserve

Maria Moroka National Park is named after Dr Maria Moroka, an anti-Apartheid activist.[1] The national park is near Thaba Nchu in the Mangaung District of the Free State Province, South Africa.[2] The park perimeter surrounds the Montloatse Setlogelo Dam (previously known as the Groothoek Dam) which is a popular angling area.[3] The Thaba Nchu (Tswana for "Black Mountain") mountain range is to the north of the national park, and is considered the spiritual homeland of the Basotho people.

Climate

The national park comprises grassland vegetation. The area is a summer rainfall region with most rain falling between November and March. The winter season between May and August is clear although temperatures can drop to below freezing at night. Frost are frequent in the winter and snowfall occasionally occurs in the mountainous regions.[4]

Wildlife

The animals found in the reserve include several species of mammals such as Burchell's zebra, black wildebeest, eland, springbok, blesbok, red hartebeest,jackals,vultures and the white rhino.[5] There are also more than 100 different bird species including many water fowl species which frequent the Montloatse Setlogelo Dam. The blue crane also frequents the reserve.[6]

The Thaba Nchu environment

Activities

There is a small 9km hiking trail to the Thaba Nchu mountain. Other activities include braai (barbecue) facilities, picnic areas, wildlife day tours, tennis, mini golf and caberet shows. You can also go angling[fishing]at the Montloatse Setlogelo Dam

See also

References
  1. https://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/fs_maria-moroka.htm Accessed 13 January 2018
  2. https://nrs.dst.gov.za/communities/explore/promo/8. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/fs_maria-moroka.htm Accessed 13 January 2018
  4. (PDF) http://soer.deat.gov.za/dm_documents/Chapter_5_-_Biodiversity_and_Ecosystem_health_cwsIR.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. (PDF) http://soer.deat.gov.za/dm_documents/Chapter_5_-_Biodiversity_and_Ecosystem_health_cwsIR.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. https://www.places.co.za/html/moroka.html Accessed 13 January 2018
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.