Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe National Park
Mapungubwe Hill
Location of the park on the Limpopo border   UNESCO Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape   Mapungubwe National Park
Location	Limpopo, South Africa
Nearest city	Musina
Coordinates	22°15′S 29°12′E / 22.250°S 29.200°E / -22.250; 29.200
Area	280 km2 (110 sq mi)
Established	1998 - Vhembe-Dongola National Park 2004 - Mapungubwe National Park
Governing body	South African National Parks
World Heritage site	2003
www.sanparks.org/parks/mapungubwe/
Mapungubwe National Park (South Africa) Show map of South Africa Mapungubwe National Park (Limpopo) Show map of Limpopo

Mapungubwe National Park is a national park in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The park protects the historical site of Mapungubwe Hill, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, as well as the wildlife and riverine forests along the Limpopo River. The Mapungubwe Hill was the site of a community dating back to the Iron Age. Evidence has shown that it was a prosperous community. Archaeologists also uncovered the famous Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe figurine from the site.

It is located at the Kolope River, south of the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the NE of the Venetia Diamond Mine. The National Park borders Mapesu Private Game Reserve to the south. It abuts on the border with Botswana and Zimbabwe, and forms part of the UNESCO Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area.

The park was established in 1995 and covers an area of over 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres). It is one of the few places in Africa that has both meerkats and Nile crocodiles.^{[citation needed]}

Mapungubwe National Park is renowned for its scenic landscape, with sandstone formations, woodlands, riverine forest and baobab trees.