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Gauteng is one of nine provinces in South Africa. It was formed after the first free elections in 1994 from part of the old Transvaal province. Originally called Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (or PWV, it was renamed Gauteng in December the same year.
The name Gauteng comes from the Sesotho phrase meaning "place of gold", which in turn was derived from the Afrikaans for gold (goud) plus the suffix "ng" meaning 'place'. Gold was first discovered in 1886 in what is now the city of Johannesburg.
Situated in the heart of the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa with only 1.4% of the land area (17,010 km²), but it is highly urbanised. It has a population of nine million made up of 74% Black, 20% White and 4% Coloured and just over 2% Asian.
The first language spoken by most is isiXhosa (21%), followed by Afrikaans (14%), Sesotho (13%) and English (12%).
The major cities and towns in Gauteng are Benoni, Edenvale, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. Johannesburg, is the provincial capital, whereas Pretoria is the nation's administrative capital.
Lekker Links
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Gauteng provincial government
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Gauteng Tourism Authority
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Tourism Grading Council
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Related pages
Benoni, Edenvale, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging
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A ninety-minute drive north-west of Johannesburg brings you to the Magaliesberg mountains – an area of great scenic beauty with superb rock formations, plunging waterfalls and meandering streams.
Visit Mrs Ples - a 2.3-million year-old fossil of Australopithecus africanus, a distant relative of Homo sapiens - at The Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site. See the Wonder Caves with their impressive display of live stalagmites and stalactites.
Drive to the Tswaing Meteorite Impact Crater, one of the youngest and best-preserved meteorite impact craters in the world where over 200,000 years ago a meteor crashed into the earth just north of present-day Pretoria.
See wildlife close up at the Lion and Rhino Park near Johannesburg, or visit the De Wildt Cheetah Research Station on the way to the scenic Hartbeespoort Dam.
Rugby union is popular in the province with three major rugby teams: Pretoria-based Blue Bulls, the Johannesburg-based Golden Lions and the East Rand-based Falcons. Football is also popular with two major teams: the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates.
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