Highest point Compassberg | Country South Africa | |
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Mountains Compassberg, Kriegersbaken | ||
The Sneeuberge (Afrikaans for Snow Mountains) are located in the far western portions of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The highest mountain range in South Africa outside the Drakensberg, they stretch between Murraysburg of the neighbouring Western Cape, north of Graaff Reinet, and almost to Cradock.
They are geologically part of the Karoo System and fall within the Karoo semi-arid climatic region. As their name suggests, the mountains have frigid winters, with occasional snowfalls during strong cold fronts. Summers are hot with some late afternoon thunderstorms. The highest peak, called Kompasberg (2502m) (Afrikaans for Compass Mountain), is north of the small village of Nieu-Bethesda and dominates all surrounding areas with its prominent steep-sided height.