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Northern Cape, stretching across the vast plains of the Karoo,
is a sparsely populated province still relatively unspoiled
by man. The Karoo, meaning 'land of great thirst' in the Hottentot
language, blazes in the summer heat yet its starkness and
silence are breathtakingly beautiful.
Certain
areas of the province, including Namaqualand, enjoy rainfall
in the spring months resulting in explosive displays of
bright, wild flowers from July to November. In the East
summer thunderstorms roll across the skies, bringing flashes
of lightning and booming across the plains before fading
swiftly away.
Along
the reviving waters of the Orange River, lush crops of cotton,
Lucerne and dates abound and the town of Upington rests
amongst vineyards of sultana grapes.
Perhaps
the most famous town is the town of Kimberley. Here in the
early 1800's the world's greatest diamond rush began when
a child picked up a 21-carat stone. Historical buildings
and museums abound in the town and the Kimberley Big Hole
is the largest man-made hole on earth.
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