Bela

The district is divided into six local municipalities: Bela Bela, Lephalale, Modimolle, Mookgophong, Mogalakwena, and Thabazimbi. The majority of its 750,000 people speak Sepedi, also known as Northern Sotho. The municipality contains much of the Waterberg Biosphere, a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve. The Waterberg Biosphere is a massif of approximately 6,540 km². Waterberg is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg there are archaeological finds dating to the Stone Age, and nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans. *Waterberg District Municipality Tourism Office: **Bela Bela: **Lephalale: **Mookgophong: **Mogalakwena: **Modimolle: **Thabazimbi: