In a semi-desert landscape, lawns and trees planted when the town was established accentuate the sense of ‘
oasis’ and one of the town's principal attractions is its
golf course. The town's water wants are greater than could be supplied by any nearby springs, however, and all is kept green by water pumped up from the
Orange River some 40 km to the north. But beyond the edges of town the arid conditions and the unique ecologies on the various inselbergs, peaks, hills and plains, with their varied rocky and shallow soil substrate, support a wide range of plants, animals, birds and insects, including rare and endemic species. The writer
William Charles Scully wrote that, “for sheer uncompromising aridity, for stark grotesque naked horror, these mountains stand probably unsurpassed on the face of the globe.” Average, but variable, annual
rainfall at the town is about 112 mm, with greatest precipitation occurring between January and April. The lowest recorded annual rainfall (11 mm) was measured in 1992, while the ‘wettest’ year (220 mm) was recorded in 2006. Temperatures average between 15 °C and 38 °C in summer and between 0 °C and 18 °C in winter. Close by is the mountain of
Ghaamsberg which is thought to house some of the last known indigenous Bushman tribes. ==Transportation==