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{{Short description|Type of rural landscape in South Africa}} {{Redirect|Veldt||}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} [[File:Typical Veld near Petrified forest (Namibia).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Typical ''veld'' near [[Petrified forest, Khorixas|Petrified forest]] in [[Namibia]]]] [[File:Springbok Namibia.jpg|thumb|[[Springbok]] in growing veld; [[Etosha National Park]], Namibia]] [[File:Etosha Springbock.jpg|thumb|Springboks in the burned veld; Etosha National Park, Namibia]] '''Veld''' ({{IPAc-en|v|Ι|l|t}} or {{IPAc-en|f|Ι|l|t}}, [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]]: ''veld'', field), also spelled '''veldt''', is a type of wide-open, rural [[landscape]] in [[Southern Africa]]. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low [[scrubland|scrub]], especially in the countries of [[South Africa]], Namibia, [[Lesotho]], [[Eswatini]], [[Zimbabwe]], and [[Botswana]]. A certain [[subtropic]]al woodland [[ecoregion]] of Southern Africa has been officially defined as the [[Bushveld]] by the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=at0717|name=Southern Africa bushveld}}</ref> Trees are not abundant; frost, fire, and grazing animals allow grass to grow, but prevent the build-up of dense foliage. ==Etymology== The word ''veld'' ({{IPA|af|fΙlt}}) comes from the [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] word for "field". The etymological origin is older modern [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''veldt'', a spelling that the [[History of Dutch orthography|Dutch abandoned]] in favour of ''veld'' during the 19th century,<ref>Winkel, Lammert Allard te. De grondbeginselen der Nederlandsche spelling: Regelen der spelling voor het Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal. Publisher: D. Noothoven van Goor, 1873. Download from: [https://archive.org/details/degrondbeginsel00winkgoog]</ref> decades before the first Afrikaans dictionary.<ref name="EAWCHBE">Eric Anderson Walker (ed). The Cambridge History of the British Empire, Volume 4. [[Cambridge University Press]] 1963 (Afrikaans: pp. 890β894)</ref><ref>Berger, Iris. South Africa in World History. [[Oxford University Press]], 2009. {{ISBN|978-0195337938}}</ref> A [[cognate]] to the English "field", it was spelt ''velt''<ref>[http://gtb.inl.nl/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=MNW&id=61858 Lemma = "velt"], ''Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek'', [[Dutch Language Union]]</ref> in [[Middle Dutch]] and ''felt''<ref>[http://gtb.inl.nl/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=ONW&id=ID3615 Lemma = "felt"], ''Oudnederlands Woordenboek'', [[Dutch Language Union]]</ref> in [[Old Dutch]]. ==Climate== The climate of the veld is highly variable, but its general pattern is mild winters from May to September and hot or very hot summers from November to March, with moderate or considerable variations in daily temperatures and abundant sunshine. Precipitation mostly occurs in the summers in the form of high-energy [[thunderstorm]]s. Over most of the South African Highveld, the average annual rainfall is between {{convert|500|and|900|mm}} a year, decreasing to about {{convert|250|mm|abbr=on}} near the western border and increasing to nearly {{convert|1000|mm|abbr=on}} in some parts of the [[Lesotho Highlands]]; the South African lowveld generally receives more precipitation than the highveld. Temperature is closely related to elevation. In general, the mean July (winter) temperatures range between {{convert|7|C}} in the Lesotho highlands and {{convert|16|C}} in the lowveld. January (summer) temperatures range between {{convert|18|and|30|C}}. In Zimbabwe, precipitation averages around {{convert|750|-|900|mm|abbr=on}} on the highveld, dropping to less than {{convert|350|mm}} in the lowest areas of the Lowveld. Temperatures are slightly higher than in South Africa. Over the entire veld, seasonal and annual average rainfall variations of up to 40% are common. Damaging drought affects at least half the area about once every three or four years; it reduces plant and animal biomass to sustainable levels again. Everywhere, the average number of hours of annual sunshine varies from 60 to 80% of the total amount possible. == Definitions== === Highveld and lowveld === <!--This section linked from [[Swaziland]]--> [[File:Lowveld map 1.png|thumb|300 px| A map of [[South Africa#Geography|South Africa]] showing the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]] and its relation to the highveld, lowveld and [[Lesotho]] highlands: The portion of the Great Escarpment that is colored red is the [[Drakensberg]]. ]] [[File:On the road in South Africa 8.jpg|thumb|Highveld at [[Excelsior, Free State|Excelsior]] in the central [[Free State (province)|Free State]]]] [[File:Elephants on the lowveld (7281426474).jpg|thumb|The [[Mpumalanga]] lowveld, as seen near Muntshe Hill in the [[Kruger National Park|Kruger Park]]]] ==== Highveld ==== {{Main|Highveld}} Much of the interior of Southern Africa consists of a high plateau, the higher portions {{convert|1500|-|2100|m|ft|abbr=on}} of which are known as the highveld, starting at the [[Drakensberg]] escarpment, {{convert|220|km|miles|abbr=on}} to the east of Johannesburg and sloping gradually downwards to the west and southwest, as well as to the north, through the bushveld towards the [[Limpopo River]].<ref name= "Altas">''Atlas of Southern Africa''. (1984). p. 13. Reader's Digest Association, Cape Town</ref> These higher, cooler areas (generally more than {{convert|1500|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}} above sea level) are characterised by flat or gently undulating terrain, vast [[grassland]]s, and a modified tropical or [[subtropical climate]]. To the east, the highveld's border is marked by the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]], or the [[Mpumalanga]] Drakensberg. Still, the boundary is often arbitrary and not apparent in the other directions. The [[blesbok]] and [[quagga]] were among the large animals that once roamed on the highveld in great numbers. Nowadays, a sizeable population of [[springbok]] still occurs in some areas,.<ref>Richard Despard Estes, ''The Behavior Guide to African Mammals'', [[University of California Press]], {{ISBN|978-0-520-27297-2}}</ref> Much of the area, though, is devoted to Balls farming and South Africa's largest conurbation ([[Gauteng|Gauteng Province]]). ==== Lowveld ==== The lowlands, below about {{convert|500|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} altitude, along South Africa's northern border with [[Botswana]] and [[Zimbabwe]], where a 180-million-year-old failed [[rift valley]] cuts into [[South Africa#Geography|Southern Africa's central plateau]] and locally obliterates the [[Great Escarpment, Southern Africa|Great Escarpment]],<ref>McCarthy t. & Rubidge B. (2005) ''The Story of Earth & Life''. p. 246-247. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.</ref><ref name= McCarthy>McCarthy, T.S. (2013) The Okavango delta and its place in the geomorphological evolution of southern Africa. ''[[South African Journal of Geology]]'' 116: 1-54.</ref> is known as the lowveld.<ref>''Atlas of Southern Africa''. (1984). pp. 13, 192, 195. Reader's Digest Association, Cape Town</ref> The [[Limpopo river|Limpopo]] and [[Save River (Africa)|Save River]]s run from the central African highlands via the lowveld into the [[Indian Ocean]] to the east. The Limpopo lowveld extends southwards, east of the Drakensberg Escarpment through [[Mpumalanga|Mpumalanga Province]] and ultimately into eastern [[Eswatini]]. This southern limb of the lowveld is bounded by South Africa's border with [[Mozambique]] to the east and the northeastern part of Drakensberg to the west.<ref>''Atlas of Southern Africa''. (1984). pp. 13, 182, 192. Reader's Digest Association, Cape Town</ref> This region is generally hotter and less intensely cultivated than the highveld. Until the mid-20th century, the lowveld was still infested by the [[tsetse fly]], which transmits the [[sleeping sickness]] called ''[[nagana]]'' among the [[Zulus]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Steverding |first=Dietmar |date=2008 |title=The history of African trypanosomiasis |journal=Parasites & Vectors |language=en |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=3 |doi=10.1186/1756-3305-1-3 |issn=1756-3305 |pmc=2270819 |pmid=18275594 |doi-access=free }}</ref> === Thornveld === Thornveld (also thorn veld or thornveldt), often referred to as "acacia thornveld", is a type of semiarid savanna in which grassland with thorny [[Acacia sensu lato|''Acacia'']] and certain species of thorny bushes predominate. The predominant plant species are usually different in the thornveld of the plains or in the hill thornveld, where, for example, species of genus ''[[Balanites]]'' are common.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecotravel.co.za/Guides/Reserves/KNP/EcoZones/Thorn_Veld.htm |title=Thorn Veld Ecozone β Kruger National Park |publisher=Ecotravel.co.za |access-date=2012-10-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511224120/http://www.ecotravel.co.za/Guides/Reserves/KNP/EcoZones/Thorn_Veld.htm |archive-date=11 May 2012 }}</ref> Some of the characteristic species<ref>{{cite web |url=http://agriculture.kzntl.gov.za/publications/production_guidelines/veld_in_natal/veld_4.8.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701140643/http://agriculture.kzntl.gov.za/publications/production_guidelines/veld_in_natal/veld_4.8.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-01 |title=KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture β Mixed Thornveld Ecozone |publisher=Agriculture.kzntl.gov.za |access-date=2012-10-31 }}</ref> in the thornveld include: *Grasses: Grass species belonging to genera ''[[Themeda]]'' and'' [[Hyparrhenia]]'' *Trees and bushes: Genera ''[[Acacia sensu lato|Acacia]]'' and ''[[Rhus]]'', such as ''[[Acacia afra]]'', ''[[Acacia sieberiana]]'', and ''[[Rhus pentheri]]'', and other species such as ''[[Ziziphus mucronata]]'', ''[[Ehretia rigida]]'', and ''[[Cussonia spicata]]''. === Sandveld and hardveld === [[File:Sandveld.jpg|thumb|A calf in the sandveld in [[Botswana]]]] [[File:Bakwena royal cemetery.jpg|thumb|Bakwena Royal Cemetery, [[Molepolole]], in the hardveld area of southeast Botswana]] ==== Sandveld ==== Sandveld, in the general sense of the word, is a type of veld characterised by dry, sandy soil, typical of certain areas of the Southern African region. It usually absorbs all water from the seasonal rains, although aquatic habitats, largely seasonal, may be also found in specific places in the sandveld.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bgis.sanbi.org/fsp/Reports/SandveldFreshwaterEcosystems2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720203917/http://bgis.sanbi.org/fsp/Reports/SandveldFreshwaterEcosystems2008.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-20 |title=Aquatic Ecosystems of the Sandveld-Saldanha |access-date=2012-10-31 }}</ref> Only certain hardy plant species thrive in the sandveld environment. These consist especially of grasses forming clumps and certain kinds of trees and shrubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/thamnocortbach.htm |title=Thamnochortus bachmannii |publisher=PlantZAfrica.com |access-date=2012-10-31}}</ref> The sandveld vegetation has a particular pattern of growth, rarely covering the whole terrain, thus leaving patches of sandy soil exposed on the surface. Some of the typical sandveld species are ''[[Acacia haematoxylon]]'', ''A. luederitzii'', ''[[Boscia albitrunca]]'', ''[[Terminalia sericea]]'', ''[[Lonchocarpus]] nelsii'', ''[[Bauhinia petersiana]]'', and ''[[Baphia]] massaiensis''. ==== Hardveld ==== Hardveld is a term applied to certain rocky soil areas in Botswana, mostly in the eastern part of the country. The landscape is an undulating plain with scattered rocky hill ranges. Areas of hardveld also occur in South Africa in the mountainous central [[Kamiesberge|Kamiesberg]] of the [[Northern Cape]] with hilly escarpments and deep river valleys. The soil of the hardveld is characterised by rocky outcrops and an abundance of stones and pebbles of different shapes and sizes. The flora of the hardveld is typical of rocky [[savanna]], with denser vegetation, so fewer denuded patches than in the sandveld, as well as taller trees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arc.agric.za/limpopo/pdf/basin_profile_part1c.pdf |title=Microsoft Word β ORIG_Basin Profile.doc |access-date=2012-10-31 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Also, a higher diversity of species is seen in the hardveld compared with the sandveld. ''[[Peltophorum africanum]]'', ''[[Acacia nigrescens]]'', ''[[Acacia tortilis|A. tortilis]]'', ''[[Combretum apiculatum]]'', and ''[[Colophospermum mopane]]'' are some of the representative species of the northern hardveld.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/Botswana/botswana.htm |title=FAO Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles β Botswana |publisher=Fao.org |access-date=2012-10-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915124212/http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/counprof/botswana/botswana.htm |archive-date=15 September 2012 }}</ref> == See also == {{div col|colwidth=23em}} *[[Bushveld]] *[[Highveld]] *[[Kruger National Park]] *[[Lowveld]] *[[Outback]] *[[Pasture]] *[[Plain]] *[[Rangeland]] {{div col end}} == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == {{wiktionary}} *{{cite journal |jstor = 20723144|last1 = Jacobs|first1 = Nancy|title = Grasslands and Thickets: Bush Encroachment and Herding in the Kalahari Thornveld|journal = Environment and History|volume = 6|issue = 3|pages = 289β316|year = 2000|doi = 10.3197/096734000129342316| url=http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/3053 }} * [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lYrLurBloJRf2aXPmZarzRTNyCE4QqXK/view The Veldt, ''Ray Bradbury'' (1950)] {{Authority control}} [[Category:Plains of Africa]] [[Category:South African English]] [[Category:Grasslands]] [[Category:Grasslands of Africa]] [[Category:Grasslands of South Africa]] [[Category:Karoo]] [[Category:Afrikaans words and phrases]] [[Category:Geography of South Africa]] [[Category:Geography of Lesotho]] [[Category:Geography of Eswatini]] [[Category:Geography of Zimbabwe]] [[Category:Geography of Botswana]] [[Category:Geography of Namibia]] [[Category:Ecoregions]]
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