Thabana Ntlenyana
Thabana Ntlenyana is the highest mountain in southern Africa. It stands tall within the Maloti Mountains that crest Lesotho. The peak's name means "beautiful little mountain" in the Sesotho language, from thaba, the diminutive -na, and ntlenyana. Thabana Ntlenyana is ranked 11th in the world by topographic isolation.
Geography
Thabana Ntlenyana is situated on the Mohlesi ridge, north of the treacherous Sani Pass. The peak is climbed as part of a "Grand Traverse" of the Maloti, which follows a large system of peaks within the Maloti (Maluti) and the broader Drakensberg. Thabana Ntlenyana, like the broader highlands around it, is made of amygdaloidal flood basalt that formed during the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic epochs. Nearby the mountain are the headwaters of the Orange River, which runs approximately to the west before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. Together with its main tributary, the Vaal River, the Orange River's catchment spans around of land across Southern Africa.Ecology
The high-elevation treeless areas in the Drakensberg like Thabana Ntlenyana are categorized by the World Wide Fund for Nature as part of the Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion. This ecoregion is characterized by high elevation and high rainfall, but also by cooler temperatures than more equatorial montane areas. Rainfall comes in summer, often exceeding per year. Snowfall can occur in winter. Temperature varies from to, with an average of.Vegetation in the Maloti is known to vary with the surface geomorphic features beneath it, such as the soil's grain size, carbon content, and depth. Flora communities are composed largely of tussock grasses and ericoid shrubs. Some of the most prevalent grass, sedge, and ericoid species are Merxmuellera disticha, M. drakensbergensis, Poa banana, Carex clavata, and Scirpus falsus.
The unique faunal communities of the Drakensberg grasslands have not yet been fully described by the scientific community. However, a 2001 study surveyed avian populations on Thabana Ntlenyana in particular. It found relatively low species diversity, with about a dozen living at the summit and more living in the peak's foothills. The majority of breeding pairs recorded were insectivores, with the remaining mostly being granivores. The most dominant species across Thabana Ntlenyana was the Cape bunting. At the summit, the African stonechat, sickle-winged chat, and African pipit dominated, while the lower foothills were home to more of the sentinel rock thrush, Drakensberg siskin, and Drakensberg rockjumper.