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The Cradle of Humankind [1] [2] [3] is a paleoanthropological site that is located about 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, [4] the site is home to the largest known concentration of human ancestral remains anywhere in the world. [5]
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T he Cradle of Humankind is one of 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa. Here the landscape is dotted with subterranean limestone caves that have turned up a rich fossil record for human evolutionary studies.
Hominids – the ancestors of modern humans – first emerged about seven million years ago, in Africa. Many significant fossil finds have been made in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, including the famous fossils “Mrs Ples” and “Little Foot”.
M aropeng is the official visitors’ centre for the Cradle of Humankin d, a World Heritage Site within easy distance of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Its name means “returning to the place of origin” in Setswana, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages.
The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site area consists of a core area and a buffer zone, which make up an area of approximately 52000 hectares, and is a protected area as per current legislation. The Cradle area is entirely within the boundaries of the Magliesberg Biosphere Reserve, and both the Cradle of Humankind and the Magliesberg ...
Fossils ranging from ancient cats to hominins as well as stone tools have been discovered in over a dozen major sites spanning 180 square miles, and the story of the Cradle is still unfolding.
Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site in 1999. It includes archaeological sites at Sterkfontein, Kromdraai, Swartkrans cave, Coopers B, Wonder Cave, Drimolen, Gladysvale, Gondolin, Plover's Lake, Haasgat, Bolt's Farm and Minnaar's caves.
