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Fynbos – which grows in a 100-to-200-km-wide coastal belt stretching from [[Clanwilliam, Western Cape|Clanwilliam]] on the West coast to [[Port Elizabeth]] on the Southeast coast – forms part of the [[Cape floral kingdom]], where it accounts for half of the surface area and 80% of the plant species. The fynbos in the western regions is richer and more varied than in the eastern regions of South Africa.
Of the world's six [[floral kingdom]]s, this is the smallest and richest per unit of area. The [[Holarctic]] kingdom, in contrast, incorporates the whole of the Northern Hemisphere north of the tropics. The diversity of fynbos plants is extremely high, with over 9,000 species of plants occurring in the area, around 6,200 of which are [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]], i.e. growing nowhere else in the world. South Africa's Western Cape has the vast majority of species with one estimate finding 8,550 species in 89,000 km<sup>2</sup>, which is higher than that estimated for the Malayan forests, 7,900 species in 132,000 km<sup>2</sup>.<ref>{{Cite journal|
Five main river systems traverse the Cape floral kingdom: the [[Olifants River (Western Cape)|Oliphants River of the Western Cape]]; the [[Berg River]] which drains the West Coast Forelands plain stretching from the [[Cape Flats]] to the Olifants; the [[Breede River|Breede]], which is the largest river on the Cape; the [[Olifants River (Southern Cape)]]; [[Gourits River|Gourits]] and the [[Groot River (Eastern Cape)|Groot River]]s which drain the [[Little Karoo]] basin and the South Coast Forelands; and the [[Baviaanskloof River|Baviaanskloof]] and [[Gamtoos River]]s to the east.
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In many areas with Mediterranean climates, fynbos species have become popular garden plants, in particular [[aloe]]s and [[pelargonium|geraniums]], and in cooler regions are used as window plants.
A very large number of fynbos plant species are used in traditional medicine, and while only a tiny proportion have as yet been subjected to formal testing, many have already been identified as having medicinal properties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fynboshub.co.za/working-with-fynbos/|title=Working with fynbos - Fynbos Hub|work=fynboshub.co.za|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tablemountain.net/blog/entry/pigs_ears_and_buchu_brandy_medicinal_plants_of_the_fynbos/|title=
==Threats and conservation==
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