Gauteng Province
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
| Area | 17,010 kmē (1.4% of country's total) |
| Population Total (2001) - Density | 8,8 million (20% of total) 432/kmē |
| GDP | xx% of the country's total |
| Languages | isiZulu (21.5%), Afrikaans (14.4%), Sesotho (13.1%), English (12.5%) |
| Capital | Johannesburg |
| Other main centres | Tshwane (Pretoria), Kungwini, Erhuruleni, Lesedi, Heidelberg, Vereeniging, Randfontein, Mogale, Westonaria. |
| Premier | Mbhazima Shilowa |
| |
Gauteng is a province of South Africa. The province was formed from part of the old Transvaal province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (or PWV) and was renamed Gauteng in December 1994.
Situated in the heart of the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa with only 1.4% of the land area, but it is highly urbanised and has a population of 8,837,178 (2001 South Afrcan National Census), the second-largest after KwaZulu-Natal.
The name Gauteng comes from the Sesotho phrase meaning Place of Gold, referring to the thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. The Sesotho phrase was in turn derived from the Afrikaans "goud" (gold) plus the locative suffix "ng." When properly pronounced, the first letter of the name Gauteng is a guttural G, pronounced similarly to the "ch" in the German "achtung" or Scottish "loch." This guttural pronunciation is natural in both the Sesotho and Afrikaans languages.
| Contents |
Geography
Gauteng's southern border is the Vaal River which separates it from the Free State, and it also borders on North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Demographics
Gauteng Province is home to 8.8 million people (2001 South Afrcan National Census), almost 20% of the total South African population. Gauteng Province is also the fastest growing province, experiencing a population growth of over 20% between the 1996 and 2001 censuses, thus Gauteng is likely to soon have the highest population of any province in South Africa..
73.8% of the population is of African heritage, 19.9% is of Caucasian heritage, 3.8% is Coloured, and 2.5% is Asian. 21.5% of Gauteng residents speak isiZulu at home, 14.4% speak Afrikaans, 13.1% speaks Sesotho language, and 12.5% speaks English.
Education
Gauteng is a centre of learning in South Africa, and it has many universities and other schools of higher learning.
- Medical University of South Africa
- Midrand Graduate Institute
- Tshwane University of Technology (Formed after Technikon Pretoria, Technikon Northern Gauteng, and Technikon North-West merged)
- University of Johannesburg (Formed after Rand Afrikaans University, some Johannesburg campuses of Vista University and Technikon Witwatersrand merged)
- University of Pretoria
- University of South Africa: Also known as UNISA incorporating the Technikon South Africa
- Vaal University of Technology: Previously known as Vaal Triangle Technikon
- University of the Witwatersrand
Conservation
Although Gauteng province is dominated by the cities Johannesburg and Tshwane (Pretoria), it has some beautiful nature reserves:
- Marievale Bird Sanctuary
- Abe Bailey Nature Reserve
- Roodeplaat Nature Reserve.
- Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve
Sport
Rugby, or more accurately Rugby Union, is a popular sport in South Africa, and in Gauteng in particular. Two Rugby teams from Gauteng participate in the Super 12 championship: the Pretoria-based Bulls, and the Johannesburg-based Cats.
Football is also popular in South Africa. Several teams from Gauteng play in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), including the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates.
See also: Vodacom Cup
External links
- [1] ANC news briefing about the selection of the name Gauteng in December 1994, and the arguments that preceded this decision.
- Gauteng Provincial Government homepage.
- Gauteng Tourism Authority homepage.
- South Africa Statistics including the 2001 census figures.
| Provinces of South Africa | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | Free State | Gauteng | KwaZulu-Natal | Limpopo | Mpumalanga | Northern Cape| North West | Western Cape | |
af:Gauteng de:Gauteng es:Provincia de Gauteng nl:Gauteng tn:Gauteng
