Fraserburg
Encyclopedia
Fraserburg is a town in the Karoo
region of South Africa's Northern Cape
province.
It was established in 1851 on the farm Rietfontein, and named after the Scottish immigrant Reverend Colin Fraser, and a church elder G.J. Meyburgh. Prior to the town establishment the earliest known inhabitants of the area were the San people and their artifacts can still be found in the area. The first Europeans to arrive were Trekboers who arrived in 1760. There are many Victorian
era houses in the town dating to the era of the Wool boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A particularly good example of a Corbelled
house can be found in the town, there are others in the district. Fraserburg is also well known for the large number of unique and well preserved fossil finds that litter the surrounding area.
It is situated at an altitude of 1,260m on a high Karoo plateau, north of the Nuweveld Mountains. It is currently included in the southern Namakwa DM
. The town has some of the coldest winters in South Africa.
The nearest towns are Williston
, Sutherland
, Loxton and Leeu-Gamka
, all of which are more than 80 km distant.
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
region of South Africa's Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
province.
It was established in 1851 on the farm Rietfontein, and named after the Scottish immigrant Reverend Colin Fraser, and a church elder G.J. Meyburgh. Prior to the town establishment the earliest known inhabitants of the area were the San people and their artifacts can still be found in the area. The first Europeans to arrive were Trekboers who arrived in 1760. There are many Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
era houses in the town dating to the era of the Wool boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A particularly good example of a Corbelled
Corbel arch
A corbel arch is an arch-like construction method that uses the architectural technique of corbeling to span a space or void in a structure, such as an entranceway in a wall or as the span of a bridge...
house can be found in the town, there are others in the district. Fraserburg is also well known for the large number of unique and well preserved fossil finds that litter the surrounding area.
It is situated at an altitude of 1,260m on a high Karoo plateau, north of the Nuweveld Mountains. It is currently included in the southern Namakwa DM
Namakwa District Municipality
Namakwa is one of the 5 districts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The seat of Namakwa is Springbok and the region is also known as Little Namaqualand. The majority of its 108 118 people speak Afrikaans...
. The town has some of the coldest winters in South Africa.
The nearest towns are Williston
Williston, Northern Cape
Williston is a town in Northern Cape, South Africa. Originally settled by people from Germany, the town was renamed in honor of Hampden Willis in 1883.-References:...
, Sutherland
Sutherland, Northern Cape
- External links :* * *...
, Loxton and Leeu-Gamka
Leeu-Gamka
Leeu-Gamka is a small town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, located north-east of Cape Town in the Karoo. it had a population of 2134....
, all of which are more than 80 km distant.