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| Constantiaberg | |
|---|---|
 Constantiaberg from the east. Just visible at the summit is the radio mast. Elephant's Eye cave appears as a black dot on the left. Note the ancient, slightly tilted strata of the sandstones of theTable Mountain Group | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 927 m (3,041 ft) |
| Coordinates | 34°03′15″S18°23′8″E / 34.05417°S 18.38556°E /-34.05417; 18.38556 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Cape Town,South Africa |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Silurian/Ordovician |
| Mountain type | Sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Silvermine Nature Reserve |
Constantiaberg is a large, whale-backedmountain that forms part of the mountainous spine of theCape Peninsula inTable Mountain National Park,Cape Town,South Africa. It lies about 7 km south ofTable Mountain, on the southern side ofConstantia Nek. The mountain is 927 m high. It is not known who first ascended the peak.
Constantiaberg,Devil's Peak andTable Mountain are the highest mountains in the range that stretches from Table Mountain all the way toCape Point. The range, made up of resistant sandstones of theTable Mountain Group, dominates the southern suburbs of the city on the verge of theCape Flats.
The lower eastern slopes of Constantiaberg are covered by the commercialpine and gum plantations of Tokai forest, and are crisscrossed with hiking trails and gravel roads that are used for harvesting the trees. The forest is popular for walking, running andmountain biking.
The western slopes of the mountain overlook the magnificent scenery ofHout Bay.
A tarred road leads to the summit of Constantiaberg, where an importantVHF mast is located34°03′17.78″S18°23′10.77″E / 34.0549389°S 18.3863250°E /-34.0549389; 18.3863250. The mast is about 100 m high and is visible for perhaps 80 kilometers in any direction. It was constructed in the 1960s and is used to transmit signals for many local television and radio channels, and also to support cellular networks. TheSouth African Weather Service has aradar installation at the summit.
Constantiaberg is home to a variety of bird and plant species. The mountain is covered mainly byfynbos, a botanicalbiome native to theWestern Cape. The specific vegetation type of the mountain isPeninsula Sandstone Fynbos, anendangered vegetation type that isendemic to the city ofCape Town - occurring nowhere else in the world.
Elephant's Eye cave, a popular hiking destination, is the mountain's biggest feature after the mast. This is visible near the southern end of the mountain when viewed from theCape Flats. Elephant's Eye is so named because the eastern profile of the mountain resembles anelephant (the range that continues toward Cape Point being the trunk).
