Great Escarpment, Southern Africa

Common card · No. 230069

The Great Escarpment is a major topographical feature in Africa that consists of steep slopes from the high central Southern African plateau downward in the direction of the oceans that surround southern Africa on three sides. While it lies predominantly within the borders of South Africa, in the east the escarpment extends northward to form the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe, continuing on beyond the Zambezi river valley to form the Muchinga Escarpment in eastern Zambia. In the west, it extends northward into Namibia and Angola. It is the combination of this escarpment and the aridity of Southern Africa that leads to the lack of navigable rivers in South Africa. Various sections of the Great Escarpment have their own names. The best-known is the Drakensberg (diagram on the right). The Schwarzrand, the edge of the Khomas Highland in Namibia, and the Serra da Chela in Angola are also well-known.

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