# Fraserburg > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fraserburg > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fraserburg.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraserburg > Source revision: 1350171450 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{For|the Scottish town|Fraserburgh}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Fraserburg | image_skyline = Fraserburg SA.png | image_caption = Top: skyline of Fraserburg at dusk. Left: the [Dutch Reformed Church](/source/Fraserburg_Reformed_Church) on the main street. Middle right: town's post office. Bottom right: a corbelled house built by [Trekboers](/source/Trekboers) before the town was established. | pushpin_map = South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa#Africa | coordinates = {{coord|31|54|52|S|21|30|43|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = [Country](/source/Country) | subdivision_name = [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) | subdivision_type1 = [Province](/source/Provinces_of_South_Africa) | subdivision_name1 = [Northern Cape](/source/Northern_Cape) | subdivision_type2 = [District](/source/Districts_of_South_Africa) | subdivision_name2 = [Namakwa](/source/Namakwa_District_Municipality) | subdivision_type3 = [Municipality](/source/List_of_municipalities_of_South_Africa) | subdivision_name3 = [Karoo Hoogland](/source/Karoo_Hoogland_Local_Municipality) | subdivision_type4 = Main Place | established_title = Established | leader_title = Councillor | area_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/367003 |title = Main Place Fraserburg |work=Census 2011}} | area_total_km2 = 98.88 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 3029 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_density_km2 = auto | demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011) | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = [Black African](/source/Bantu_peoples_of_South_Africa) | demographics1_info1 = 4.8% | demographics1_title2 = [Coloured](/source/Coloureds) | demographics1_info2 = 84.8% | demographics1_title3 = [Indian](/source/Indian_South_African)/[Asian](/source/Asian_South_African) | demographics1_info3 = 0.6% | demographics1_title4 = [White](/source/White_South_African) | demographics1_info4 = 9.5% | demographics1_title5 = Other | demographics1_info5 = 0.3% | demographics_type2 = [First language](/source/First_language)s (2011) | demographics2_footnotes = | demographics2_title1 = [Afrikaans](/source/Afrikaans) | demographics2_info1 = 95.8% | demographics2_title2 = [Xhosa](/source/Xhosa_language) | demographics2_info2 = 1.3% | demographics2_title3 = | demographics2_info3 = | demographics2_title4 = | demographics2_info4 = | demographics2_title5 = Other | demographics2_info5 = 3.0% | timezone1 = [SAST](/source/South_African_Standard_Time) | utc_offset1 = +2 | postal_code_type = [Postal code](/source/List_of_postal_codes_in_South_Africa) (street) | postal_code = 6960 | postal2_code_type = [PO box](/source/Post-office_box) | postal2_code = 6960 | area_code_type = [Area code](/source/Telephone_numbers_in_South_Africa) | area_code = 023 }} '''Fraserburg''' is a town in the [Karoo](/source/Karoo) region of South Africa's [Northern Cape](/source/Northern_Cape) province. It is located in the [Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality](/source/Karoo_Hoogland_Local_Municipality). The town has some of the coldest winters in South Africa. The nearest towns are [Williston](/source/Williston%2C_Northern_Cape), [Sutherland](/source/Sutherland%2C_Northern_Cape), [Loxton](/source/Loxton%2C_Northern_Cape) and [Leeu-Gamka](/source/Leeu-Gamka), all of which are more than 100 km distant. A particularly good example of a [corbel](/source/corbel)led house can be found in the town, there are others in the district. The town is also well known for the large number of unique and well-preserved fossil finds that litter the surrounding area. ==History== [[File:Ou NG kerk Fraserburg.jpg|thumbnail|left|A photograph down the main road running from Leeu Gamka of the old [Dutch Reformed Church](/source/Fraserburg_Reformed_Church) in 1899]] The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the [San people](/source/San_people) and their artefacts and rock paintings can still be found in the area. The first Europeans to arrive in the region were [Trekboers](/source/Trekboers) who arrived in 1759. The first settler to be recorded in these parts was Willem Steenkamp, after whom the [Steenkampsberg](/source/Steenkampsberg%2C_Northern_Cape) is named.{{cite web| url=http://northerncape.lodgesafaris.com/Northern_Cape_Info-travel/northern-cape-fraserburg.html |publisher=Lodge Safaris | title=Fraserburg, Northern Cape, South Africa | access-date=7 February 2011 }} In 1851 Fraserburg was established on the farm Rietfontein and named after the Scottish immigrant Reverend Colin Fraser.{{cite book|last = Raper|first = P.E.|title = South African Place Names|publisher = Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town|year = 2004|page = 105|isbn = 1-86842-190-2}} A post office was established in 1858, seven years after the town's founding, this led to an era of development for the area. In 1859 a [magistrates office](/source/Magistrate's_court_(South_Africa)) was opened and in 1860 a police station was opened and the town's first medical doctor arrived. In 1861 a prison was opened in the town, it closed 107 years later in 1968. In 1870 the town's first attorney and noted Afrikaans author, [H. W. A. Cooper](/source/%3Aaf%3AH.W.A._Cooper), moved to the town where he wrote the "Boerebrieven" in the Afrikaans newspaper ''[Het Volksblad](/source/Volksblad)'', writing under the pseudonym Samuel Zwaartman.{{cite web | url=http://www.karoohoogland.co.za/fraserburg.htm | title=Fraserburg | publisher=Karoo Hoogland | access-date=8 April 2015 | archive-date=27 June 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627065332/http://karoohoogland.co.za/fraserburg.htm | url-status=dead }} The town was declared a municipality on June 6, 1862. There are many [Victorian](/source/Victorian_architecture) era houses in the town dating to the era of the [ostrich feather](/source/ostrich) and [wool booms](/source/Economy_of_the_Western_Cape) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1861 the town's distinctive hexagonal stone bell tower was built. Known as ''The Pepperpot'' due to its distinctive shape, the {{convert|9|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall|sp=us}} structure and was used as the magistrate’s private office, the Market Master’s office and functioned as the town's first library.{{Cite web|url=http://www.karoo-information.co.za/routes/business/1326/the-pepperpot|title=THE PEPPERPOT - Businesses in The Karoo|website=www.karoo-information.co.za|access-date=2017-02-05}} In 1870 a [powder magazine](/source/Gunpowder_magazine), which still stands on the edge of town, was built by the British army in case of war with the neighbouring [Griqua people](/source/Griqua_people) and was used during the [Anglo-Boer War](/source/Anglo-Boer_War). In 1938 the town's first power station was installed with 7 [Lister Blackstone](/source/Lister_Blackstone) generators -still present- used to power the town at the time it was connected to the national grid in 1983.{{Cite web|url = http://www.karoohoogland.co.za/frasertourism.htm|title = Fraserburg Tourism|access-date = 6 April 2015|website = Karoo Hoogland|archive-date = 4 July 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120704182305/http://www.karoohoogland.co.za/frasertourism.htm|url-status = dead}} == Fossil deposits == In 1968 on a nearby farm a number of very well preserved fossilised footsteps were discovered dating back 250 million years to the [Permian Period](/source/Permian_Period), most notable of which is a very well preserved ''[Bradysaurus](/source/Bradysaurus)'' footprint.{{Cite web|url = http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-ancient-footprints-fraserburg|title = Ancient footprints, Fraserburg|access-date = 6 April 2015|website = South Africa.net|publisher = South Africa Tourism}} Since then a number of fossilised remains of other pre-dinosaur creatures such as [Pareiasaur](/source/Pareiasaur)s, [Dinocephalia](/source/Dinocephalia)ns, and [Therapsid](/source/Therapsid)s have been discovered in an area regarded as one of the best [paleontological](/source/paleontological) sites in South Africa.{{Cite web|url = http://karoohues.blogspot.com/2013/05/fraserburg-paleontological-site.html|title = FRASERBURG - PALEONTOLOGICAL SITE|date = 20 May 2013|access-date = 6 April 2015|website = Karoo Hues}} Fossils of some of the following Permian period reptiles have been found in the area: * ''[Pareiasaurus](/source/Pareiasaurus)'' * ''[Diictodon](/source/Diictodon)'' * ''[Struthiocephalus](/source/Struthiocephalus)'' ==Geography== Fraserburg is situated at an altitude of {{convert|1385|m|ft}} above [sea level](/source/sea_level) on a high Karoo plateau, north of the [Nuweveld Mountains](/source/Nuweveld_Mountains). Similar to -although not to the same extent as- nearby Sutherland, Fraserburg's arid climate and remote location make its night skies among the world's clearest and darkest. The telescopes of the [South African Astronomical Observatory](/source/South_African_Astronomical_Observatory) {{Coord|32|22|46|S|20|48|38.5|E|type:landmark|name=SAAO|display=inline}} list located roughly 95 km to the west of the town just outside Sutherland. These include the [Southern African Large Telescope](/source/Southern_African_Large_Telescope) (SALT), the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere.[http://www.salt.ac.za/ SALT home page] ===Climate=== Fraserburg has an average yearly temperature of 13.9 °C and an average annual minimum temperature of 6 °C; Snowfall is common in winter. On average the town's warmest month is January with an average temperature of 21.7 °C, the coolest month tends to be June, with an average temperature of 6.7 °C. Fraserburg has a Tropical and Subtropical Desert Climate ([Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) ''[''BWk''](/source/Desert_climate)''). {{Weather box|width=auto |metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Fraserburg, elevation {{convert|1268|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 2006–2023) |Jan record high C = 42.4 |Feb record high C = 42.0 |Mar record high C = 37.2 |Apr record high C = 33.7 |May record high C = 29.6 |Jun record high C = 25.9 |Jul record high C = 24.9 |Aug record high C = 30.0 |Sep record high C = 34.1 |Oct record high C = 38.0 |Nov record high C = 39.6 |Dec record high C = 39.1 |Jan record low C = 6.8 |Feb record low C = 6.0 |Mar record low C = 3.7 |Apr record low C = 0.2 |May record low C = -4.5 |Jun record low C = -6.4 |Jul record low C = -7.9 |Aug record low C = -6.4 |Sep record low C = -3.9 |Oct record low C = -0.5 |Nov record low C = 1.5 |Dec record low C = 2.5 |Jan high C = 34.1 |Feb high C = 33.3 |Mar high C = 30.9 |Apr high C = 26.0 |May high C = 22.1 |Jun high C = 17.6 |Jul high C = 18.0 |Aug high C = 20.2 |Sep high C = 23.6 |Oct high C = 27.6 |Nov high C = 29.3 |Dec high C = 32.2 | year high C = |Jan mean C = 24.7 |Feb mean C = 24.1 |Mar mean C = 21.8 |Apr mean C = 17.2 |May mean C = 13.6 |Jun mean C = 9.5 |Jul mean C = 9.2 |Aug mean C = 10.6 |Sep mean C = 13.6 |Oct mean C = 17.9 |Nov mean C = 19.8 |Dec mean C = 22.9 | year mean C = |Jan low C = 15.4 |Feb low C = 14.9 |Mar low C = 12.6 |Apr low C = 8.3 |May low C = 5.1 |Jun low C = 1.3 |Jul low C = 0.4 |Aug low C = 1.0 |Sep low C = 3.6 |Oct low C = 8.1 |Nov low C = 10.4 |Dec low C = 13.5 | year low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 19.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 26.4 |Mar precipitation mm = 32.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 20.9 |May precipitation mm = 14.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 10.2 |Jul precipitation mm = 8.1 |Aug precipitation mm = 7.4 |Sep precipitation mm = 7.9 |Oct precipitation mm = 8.9 |Nov precipitation mm = 11.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 12.4 |year precipitation mm = |unit precipitation days = 0.25 mm | Jan precipitation days = 2.4 | Feb precipitation days = 2.9 | Mar precipitation days = 4.3 | Apr precipitation days = 3.5 | May precipitation days = 3.1 | Jun precipitation days = 2.9 | Jul precipitation days = 2.0 | Aug precipitation days = 2.1 | Sep precipitation days = 1.7 | Oct precipitation days = 2.0 | Nov precipitation days = 1.9 | Dec precipitation days = 1.9 | year precipitation days = |source 1 = Starlings Roost Weather (precipitation 1878–2023){{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=9120&code=SF001130250 |title= FRASERBURG, SF Climate: 1991–2020 |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date= 27 December 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=allyears&code=SF001130250 |title= FRASERBURG, SF Climate: All Years |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date= 27 December 2024}} }} == Notable residents == Notable residents of Fraserburg include: * [A.G. Visser](/source/A.G._Visser), famous Afrikaans poet was born in Fraserburg. * [Jan S. Marais](/source/Jan_S._Marais), banker and politician was born in Fraserburg. * [Pieter Daniel Rossouw](/source/P._D._Rossouw) (1845 – 1896), theologen and Afrikaans writer, spent the last 13 years of his life in Fraserburg * [Katie Stuart (reformer)](/source/Katie_Stuart_(reformer)) (1862-1925), British South African evangelist and temperance leader; was born in Fraserburg. ==Notes== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.places.co.za/html/fraserburg.html Tourism website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207185611/http://www.places.co.za/html/fraserburg.html |date=2009-02-07 }} {{Geographic Location |Centre = Fraserburg |North = [Williston](/source/Williston%2C_Northern_Cape) |Northeast = [Carnarvon](/source/Carnarvon%2C_Northern_Cape) |East = [Loxton](/source/Loxton%2C_Northern_Cape) |Southeast = [Beaufort West](/source/Beaufort_West) |South = [Leeu Gamka](/source/Leeu_Gamka) |Southwest = [Sutherland](/source/Sutherland%2C_Northern_Cape) |West = |Northwest = [Calvinia](/source/Calvinia) }} {{Namakwa District Municipality}} {{Authority control}} Category:Populated places in the Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality Category:Karoo Category:Populated places established in 1851 Category:1851 establishments in the Cape Colony --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fraserburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraserburg) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraserburg?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.