26°10S 28°02E, pop (2000e) 1 837 000 (metropolitan area). Largest city in South Africa, and capital of Gauteng province; 50 km/31 mi SSW of Pretoria; altitude 1665 m/5462 ft; founded in 1886 after the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand; airport; railway; two universities (1922, 1966); commerce (stock exchange), chemicals, textiles, clothing, leather products, engineering, diamond cutting, gold mining; art gallery, civic centre, several museums.
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| City motto: Unity in Development | |||||
| Province | Gauteng | ||||
| Mayor | Amos Masondo | ||||
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Area - % water |
1,644 km² 0.00% |
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Population - Total (2001) - Density |
Ranked 96th 3,225,812 1,962/km² |
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| Established | 1886 | ||||
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) | ||||
| Calling code | 011 | ||||
Johannesburg, also known as eGoli, is the most populous city in South Africa. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world, and one of Africa's global cities (classified as a gamma world city). Whilst sometimes mistakenly assumed to be South Africa's capital city, Johannesburg is not even one of South Africa's three official capital cities (although Pretoria, which is part of the same province, is). Johannesburg's land area of 1,644 km² is very large when compared to other cities, resulting in a population density of only 1,962/km².
History
The region surrounding Johannesburg has been inhabited for millions of years. Currently the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council is implementing a large scale Inner City Revival project leading to many business moving back to the inner city.
Government
| Administrative Regions | |
|---|---|
| Region 1 | Diepsloot, Kya Sand |
| Region 2 | Midrand, Ivory Park |
| Region 3 | Bryanston, Douglasdale, Fourways, Randburg, Sandton, Strijdompark, Sunninghill, Woodmead |
| Region 4 | Emmarentia, Greenside, Melville, Northcliff, Rosebank, Parktown, Parktown North, |
| Region 5 | Roodepoort, Constantia Kloof, Northgate |
| Region 6 | Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville, Protea Glen |
| Region 7 | Alexandra, Wynberg, Bruma |
| Region 8 | Inner City |
| Region 9 | Johannesburg South, City Deep, Aeroton, Southgate |
| Region 10 | Meadowlands, Diepkloof |
| Region 11 | Orange Farm, Ennerdale, Lenasia |
During the apartheid era, Johannesburg was divided into 11 local authorities, seven of which were white and four black or Coloured.
In 1999, Johannesburg appointed a city manager in order to reshape the city's ailing financial situation.
Crime
After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in the early 1990s, Johannesburg was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, mostly black, people who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black townships such as Soweto. By the late 1990s, Johannesburg was rated as one of the most dangerous cities in the world with well over 1000 murders every year.
Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal government of Johannesburg. In an effort to prepare Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, local government has enlisted the help of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to help bring down the crime rate, as the opening and closing matches of the tournament will be played in the city .
Geography and climate
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa, known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1753 metres. The city is located on a small ridge called the Witwatersrand (White Water's Ridge: Afrikaans) and the city's northern and western suburbs have undulating hills, while the eastern metro area is generally flat. Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild thanks to the city's high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 26ºC, dropping to an average maximum of around 16°C in June.
Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg contains about six million trees, and it is often claimed that the city has the largest man-made forest in the world.
Climate Table| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest recorded temperature (°C) | 35 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 35 | |
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 26 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 22 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 10 | |
| Lowest recorded temperature (°C) | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | -3 | -8 | -5 | -5 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -8 | |
| Average monthly precipitation (mm) | 125 | 90 | 91 | 54 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 27 | 72 | 117 | 105 | 713 | |
| Average number of rain days (>= 1 mm) | 16 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 99 | |
| Source: South African Weather Service | ||||||||||||||
Demographics
According to the 2001 South African National Census, the population of Johannesburg is 3,225,812 people, though including the East Rand and other suburban areas it's around 7 million, who live in 1,006,930 formal households, of which 86 % have a flush or chemical toilet, and 91 % have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week.
Black Africans account for 73 % of the population, followed by whites at 16 %, Coloured South Africans at 6 % and Asians at 4 %.
34 % of Johannesburg residents speak Nguni languages at home, 26 % speak Sotho languages, 19 % speak English, and 8 % speak Afrikaans.
Economy
Johannesburg is the economic and financial hub of South Africa, producing 16 % of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40 % of Gauteng's economic activity. While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most mining companies have their headquarters in Johannesburg. Due to its commercial importance, this city is the site of a number of government branch offices, as well as consular offices and other institutions that are usually found only in capital cities.
The container terminal at City Deep is purported to be the largest "dry port" in the world, with some 60 % of cargo that arrives through the port of Durban arriving in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg's largest and most prestigious shopping centres are Sandton City and Hyde Park respectively.
Johannesburg is also a centre for broadcast media, with such radio stations as YFM, Metro FM, 702, Highveld Stereo, 5FM, Kaya FM and Classic FM situated in the city. Johannesburg is also the headquarters of broadcasters South African Broadcasting Corporation and M-Net, while eTV also has a presence in the city.
Suburbs
The different suburbs of Johannesburg are generally categorised by compass direction, as different areas of the city have greatly different personalities. Since Johannesburg is such a large city, there is great variety in the suburbs that comprise it.
To the southwest of the City Centre is Soweto, a mostly black urban area constructed during the apartheid regime specifically for housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settlement.
Tourism
Johannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Gold Reef City, a large amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a large draw for tourists in the city.
The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. background: #eee">
| Club | Sport | League | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaizer Chiefs | Football | Premier Soccer League | Johannesburg Stadium |
| Moroka Swallows | Football | Premier Soccer League | Rand Stadium |
| Orlando Pirates | Football | Premier Soccer League | FNB Stadium |
| Alexander United | Football | MTN Supersport Leagues | Alexander Stadium |
| Katlehong City | Football | MTN Supersport Leagues | Potgietersrus Rugby Stadium |
| Highveld Lions | Cricket | Standard Bank Cup Series | Wanderers Stadium |
| Lions | Rugby | Super 14 | Ellis Park Stadium |
| Golden Lions | Rugby | Currie Cup | Ellis Park Stadium |
Johannesburg’s most popular sports by participation are football, running, rugby, and cricket. People from Johannesburg are football mad and clubs from Johannesburg either play in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) or the First Division. In the PSL, the top Johannesburg teams are all fierce rivals and include Kaizer Chiefs (also known as the Amakhosi), Orlando Pirates (also known as the Buccaneers) and Moroka Swallows, based at the city's Johannesburg, Rand, and FNB stadiums respectively. First Division teams include Katlehong City and Alexander United, who play at Alexander and Reiger Park stadiums respectively
In cricket, the Highveld Lions represent Johannesburg, the rest of Gauteng as well as the North West Province at the Wanderers Stadium. Johannesburg will also be the location of several matches
in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is to be held in South Africa.
Transport
Johannesburg, much like Los Angeles, is a young and sprawling city geared towards private motorists, and lacks a convenient public transportation system. However, as many of Johannesburg's residents are comparatively poor when compared to those of Los Angeles, a significant number are unable to afford their own cars and are dependent on the city's informal minibus taxis.
Mass transitJohannesburg's metro railway system connects central Johannesburg to Soweto, Pretoria, and most of the satellite towns along the Witwatersrand. However, the railway infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's infancy and covers only the older areas in the city's south.
The Gauteng Provincial Government's Blue IQ Project, Gautrain, however, has made provisions for the creation of a rapid rail link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and east-west between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport.
BusesJohannesburg is served by a bus fleet operated by Metrobus, a corporate unit of the City of Johannesburg. Metrobus also operates a number of open-top buses in the "City Slicker" role, using them to provide guided tours around the city. Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a destination.
Freeways Main article: Johannesburg freewaysThe fact that Johannesburg is not built near a large navigable body of water has meant that from the very beginning of the city's history, ground transportation has been the most important method of transporting people and goods in and out of the city. The road is comprised of three freeways that converge on the city, forming an 80-kilometre loop around it: the N3 Eastern Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Durban;
Universities in Johannesburg
Johannesburg has a well-developed higher education system of both private and public universities. Johannesburg is served by the public universities University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg.
Sister cities
Johannesburg's sister cities are:
Birmingham, England (United Kingdom) New York City, New York (United States) Xi'an, China.
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