Typical summer (dry season) Overberg landscape with the Babilonstoring Mountains beyond between Caledon and Bot RiverOverberg in the early spring with canola fields in the foreground and Riviersonderend Mountains in the backgroundMap of the Overberg
The area has always been considered as the breadbasket of the Cape and is largely given to grain farming — mainly wheat. The wheat fields are a major breeding ground for South Africa's national bird, the blue crane. Another important crop in the Overberg is fruit, with the Elgin Valley producing about 60 percent of the total annual apple crop of about 819 000 tonnes (2012 data).[1]
Nestled in the Overberg, one can find the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (recognised and registered with UNESCO) populated with a large diversity of flowering plants not found anywhere else in the fynbosbiome.
The major towns are Hermanus, Caledon, Bredasdorp, Grabouw and Swellendam and the region includes Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa. The landscape is dominated by gently to moderately undulating hills enclosed by mountains and the ocean.
The name, derived from Over 't Berg, means "over the (Hottentots-Holland) mountain" and is a reference to the region's location relative to Cape Town.[2]
Overberg gallery
See also
Swellendam – Town in Western Cape, South Africa, once the capital of the Overberg.
Struisbaai – Coastal town in Western Cape, South Africa
Overberg District Municipality – district municipality in the Western Cape, South AfricaPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
Overstrand Local Municipality – local municipality in the Western Cape, South AfricaPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
Denel Overberg Test Range – Weapons systems testing facility on the south coast of South Africa (weapons test site)