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The Cradle of Humankind covers an area of over 47 000 hectares of privately owned land in the north-western corner of Gauteng, some thirty minutes from Tshwane. A World Heritage Site on account of the dolomitic limestone caves containing the fossilised remains of ancient forms of animals, plants and over 850 hominid fossil remains, the area represents one of the world's richest concentrations of fossil hominid bearing sites.
Maropeng Visitor Centre - Tel: +27 (0)14 577 9000
Sterkfontein Caves proved particularly rich in hominids and it was here that Dr Robert Broom discovered the almost complete skull of an adult female Australopithecus africanus in 1947. 'Mrs Ples', as the find was nicknamed, was estimated to be between 2,8 and 2,6 million years old and is housed in the Transvaal Museum. Of all the caves in the area only the Sterkfontein Caves and the Wonder Cave are open to the public.
Sterkfontein Caves - Tel: +27 (0)11 956 6342
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