The expression comes from the USA, and is usually applied to places like Montana or to ruggedly handsome “big” men in America’s “Wild West”.
”High, wide and handsome” perfectly describes a deal of Namibia, especially western Namibia’s Brandberg massif.
It covers circa 650 square kilometres, has a circumference of circa 140 kilometres, and Its high point – Namibia’s highest peak – is a deal taller than Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko.
Unlike the Great Wall of China, which is not in fact readily discernible to an astronaut’s naked eyes, the Brandberg is clearly visible from the International Space Station.
Although not an actual volcano, this massive granitic intrusion was created by volcanic activity.
(photo is copyright Doug Spencer, taken at 9.12 am on 18 November 2022, from Road C35, circa 25 ks north of Uis)
This post’s photo was taken whilst en route from Twyfelfontein to Swakopmund.
Around twenty minutes later, we drove through Uis, the only town “close” (circa 30 ks) to the Brandberg.
Uis is at a higher altitude than is the photo’s vantage point, and also closer to the massif.
It is a fair guesstimate that when I pressed the shutter button, the Brandberg’s east-facing ramparts were circa 40 kilometres distant from me, and its highest peak was circa 2,000 metres above my head.
Nowhere in Australia-proper can you see mountainsides of anything like that vertical scale.
The Brandberg’s Konigstein (“the King’s stone”) is 2, 573 metres above sea level; in “old money” that makes it rather more than 1,100 feet taller than Kosciuzsko.
In relation to its immediate surrounds, Australia’s tallest mountain is only a relatively modest hill.
The Konigstein, however, stands taller above my photo’s vantage point than Victoria’s Mount Hotham does above the nearest, distant, invisible, ocean shore.
On a very clear day, a climber atop the Konigstein would be able to see the Atlantic Ocean, less than 100 kilometres distant…and 2,573 metres below.
Click here for a NASA astronaut’s view of the entire Brandberg massif.
The Brandberg is much more than just a big chunk of granite; it is also one of the world’s significant rock art sites…and if scorpions are your particular passion, it may well be Africa’s best place!
Click this for an overview.
If you’d like to read a climber’s account, and see what it looks like, “up there”, click here