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The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to craggy sharp mountains of volcanic rock and the lushness of the Orange River, which forms the border with neighboring Namibia. The area ranges in altitude from sea level, to 1,377 m (4,518 ft) at Cornellberg. Located in the north-western side of the Northern Cape province in South Africa, the Richtersveld is regarded as the only arid biodiversity hotspot on earth and the majority of the area is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List due to its cultural values.
World Heritage Site ID: 1265
The Dernberg is one of the most notable mountains in the Richtersveld and the Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, on the border between South Africa and Namibia. This region is noted for its extreme dryness (bordered by the Kalahari, the Namib and the Karoo deserts) and Dernberg is an important landmark in the Zebrawater watershed that ultimately feeds into the Orange River, South Africa's biggest river.
The Baken diamond mine is a diamond mine located along the lower Orange River in South Africa. The mine is owned and operated by Lower Orange River Diamonds. The central processing plant has been operational at Baken since 2001.
Sanddrif is a town in Richtersveld Local Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. It is located 57 km east of Alexander Bay.
The Succulent Karoo is an ecoregion defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature to include regions of desert in South Africa and Namibia, and a biodiversity hotspot. The geographic area chosen by the WWF for what they call 'Succulent Karoo' does not correspond to the actual Karoo.