They form part of the 'Amatola and Stormberg' region which includes major towns like Grahamstown, East London and Port Alfred.

Towns in the Stormberg Mountains include Sterkstroom, Jamestown, Molteno, Dordrecht, Barkly East, Rhodes and Steynsburg.

Geologically, the mountains form part of the Stormberg Series of the Karoo System where some of the only workable coal seams in the Cape are to be found.

[2] These mountains - like all of South Africa - was originally home to the Khoisan hunter gatherers.

The Nguni migrations saw the arrival of the Xhosa herders from the north and the displacement of the Khoisan.