TABLE MOUNTAIN (Dutch Tafelberg), a name fre quently given in South Africa to flat-topped hills and mountains, which are a characteristic feature of the scenery. Occasionally such hills are called plat, i.e., flat, bergen. Specifically Table Mountain is the mountain, which rises from the shores of Table bay, Cape Town lying at its seaward base and on its lower slopes. The mountain forms the northern end of a range of hills which terminates southward in the Cape of Good Hope. It is formed of gently inclined sandstones and quartzites of the Table Mountain Sandstone series, resting unconformably on granites, which are intruded into shales of the Malmesbury Series. The sandstones descend toward sea-level on the shores of False bay, but are too high to be accessible as building stone for Cape Town. The northern face of the mountain, overlooking Table bay, extends like a great wall some two miles in length, and rises precipitously to a height of over 3,500 feet. The face is scored with ravines, a particularly deep cleft, known as The Gorge, affording the shortest means of access to the summit. East and west of the mountain and a little in advance of it are lesser hills, the Devil's Peak (3,30o ft.) being to the east and Lion's Head (2,100 ft.) to the west. Lion's Head ends seaward in Signal hill (I,Ioo ft.). The western side of Table Mountain faces the Atlan
tic, and forms an escarpment, with a broken sky line, known as The Twelve Apostles : to the south Hout's Bay Nek connects it with the remainder of the range ; on the east the mountain over looks the Cape Flats. On this side its slopes are less steep, and at its foot are Rondebosch, Newlands, Wynberg, and othei resi dential suburbs of Cape Town. The ascent of the mountain from Wynberg by Hout's Bay Nek is practicable for horses.
The south-east winds which sweep over Table Mountain fre quently cause the phenomenon known as "The Table-cloth." The summit of the mountain is then covered by a whitish-grey cloud, which is being constantly forced down the northern face towards Cape Town, but never reaches the lower slopes. The clouds (not always caused by the south-easter) form very suddenly, and the weather on the mountain is exceedingly changeable. The rainfall on the summit is heavy, 72.14 in. a year being the average of twelve years' observations. This compares with an average of in. at Bishop's Court, Newlands, at the foot of the mountain on the east, and with 25.43 in. at Cape Town at the northern foot of the mountain. (See also CAPE TOWN.)