212 DEVELOPMENT OF THE COASTAL BELT OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



yet comparatively near it. This only needs development to 

 transform it into actual wealth. Before pointing out the immense 

 possibilities of this coastal belt for closer settlement and indus- 

 trial development, it will be as well briefly to describe it. 



As is well known, the coastal belt of South Africa consists 

 of a narrow belt of coast lands rising up a few hundred feet 

 above sea level, hedged in by various mountain ranges forming 

 the escarpment of the great tableland of the interior. This moun- 

 tain wall comes occasionally within a few miles of the coast, but in 

 other places recedes from 50 to 100 miles away. x\long this 

 escarpment there runs right away from Ceres to Zululand a com- 

 paratively narrow belt of intense rainfall. This rainfall takes 

 place generally at an elevation on the escarpment of between 

 1,000 and 4.000 feet. Naturally, the intensest part of this rain- 

 fall is on the inaccessible mountain heights, so that we have not 

 many records of the heaviest portion of the rainfall. Neverthe- 

 less, we have sufficient records to show that right round the 

 coast from Ceres to Zululand there is apparently a belt of rain- 

 fall exceeding 40 inches per annum. The map on p. 211 

 shows, by circular dots, various spots around the coast where 

 the average rainfall exceeds 40 inches. 



Table i. 



List of Rainfall Stations. 



Elevation Above. Average 



Name of Station. Sea Level. Annual Rainfall. 



1 . Ceres i ,493 42 . o 



2. Wemmers and Berg River 



Hoeks 2,000 Average 90.0 



3. Table Mountain 3,300 65.0 



4- Elgin 919 45.0 



5. Groot Vaders Bosch 1,000 40.5 



6. Millwood 1,500 41 .0 



7. Buffels Nek 2,200 42.5 



8. Witte Els Bosch 530 45.5 ■ 



9. Katberg 3,380 43.0 



10. Hogsback 3,752 51 .0 



11. Evelyn Valley 4,200 70.0 



12. Willowvale — 41 .0 



13. Baziya 3,ooo 52.0 



14. Tabankulu Forest Station .. 3,700 5i-0 



15. Lusikiski Forest Station . — 58.0 



16. Port Shepstone — 45 -O 



17. Pietermaritzburg, Henley, 



and Sweetwater 3,000 50.0 



18. Stanger 42.0 



19. Hlabisa .SO.o 



20. Mbabane 4,000 55.0 



