The Cradle of Humankind is a paleo-anthropological site about 50 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng province. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. The registered name of the site in the list of World Heritage Sites is Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa. The Sterkfontein Caves were the site of the discovery of a 2.3-million-year-old fossil Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed "Mrs. Ples"), found in 1947 by Robert Broom and John T. Robinson. The find helped corroborate the 1924 discovery of the juvenile Australopithecus africanus skull known as the "Taung Child", by Raymond Dart, at Taung in the North West Province of South Africa, where excavations still continue. Within the Sterkfontein Caves, scientists have discovered many hominid and other animal fossils, dating back more than 4-million years, to the birth of humanity.
CONTACT
General telephone number (Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves) : +27 (0)14 577 9000
Email: website@maropeng.co.za
Please note, no pets are allowed at Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves.
HOTEL CONTACT DETAILS
Tel: +27 (0)14 577 9100
LOCATION
The Maropeng Visitor Center, Market Place and Tumulus restaurants, as well as the Maropeng Hotel, can be found just off the R563 Hekpoort Road, Sterkfontein, 1911, South Africa.
GPS co-ordinates:
-25°58'01.5528", 027°39'45.0252"
or
S 25 Degrees 58 Mins 01 Second
E 27 Degrees 39 Mins 45 Seconds
