Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site

Official name

Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape | UNESCO

Country

South Africa | Map

Continent

Africa

Location

Northern Province
-22.1925° Lat, 29.2388° Lon | Map

Code

1099

Time Zone

Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, +0200)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2003. Mapungubwe is set hard against the northern border of South Africa, joining Zimbabwe and Botswana. It is an open, expansive savannah landscape at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. Mapungubwe developed into the largest kingdom in the sub-continent before it was abandoned in the 14th century. What survives are the almost untouched remains of the palace sites and also the entire settlement area dependent upon them, as well as two earlier capital sites, the whole presenting an unrivalled picture of the development of social and political structures over some 400 years.