Drakensberg

Mountain range in South Africa (Sesuto name Quathlamba), on the boundary of Lesotho and the Free State with KwaZulu-Natal. Its highest point is Thabane Ntlenyana (in Lesotho), 3,482 m/11,424 ft, near which is Natal Drakensberg Park.

Ranges and peaks The Drakensberg is the principal mountain range of South Africa, lying parallel to the coast, between Eastern Cape Province and the Vaal River. The seaward slopes are steep and precipitous, while landwards the slopes are more gradual and form part of the interior plateau. The portion of the chain between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho contains the highest points in the Maluti Range of Lesotho, which forms part of the Drakensberg system; Champagne Castle, Mont-aux-Sources, Giant's Castle and other peaks are over 3,000 m/9,842 ft in altitude, and all within 100 km/62 mi of each other. The main heights along the Mpumulanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal), KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State frontiers are Malani, Inkwelo, Tintwa, Majuba, and Drakensberg.

Rivers Part of the chain forms the watershed between the rivers flowing west to the Atlantic and those flowing east and south to the Indian Ocean. The Orange and Tugela rivers rise in the Mont-aux-Sources. Van Reenen's Pass and Laingsnek are the chief passes crossing the range.