Also written (and pronounced)
koppie, a kopje is a small
hill, technically known as an
inselberg. It is a
Dutch word adapted into
Afrikaans to describe the terrain of the
veld. It is a
diminutive of the word
kop, which means simply "
hill".
Typically, it can only be used to describe rocky landforms found around deserts. It is made up of aged granite which has eroded into rough surfaces.
A kopje often has vegetation and wildlife that one would not find in the surrounding desert or plains, as it provides protection from the sun, and from flooding.
Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem called Two Kopjes.