Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Area: 17,010 Km2 (1.4% of South Africa) Gauteng is by far the smallest province.
Population at 2001 census: 8,837,172 (19.7% of South Africa). Gauteng is the second most populous province.
Population density: 519.53 people per Km2. Gauteng is by far the most densely populated province.
Proportion of national GDP (2001): 33.9% of South Africa. Gauteng contributes by far the most to South Africa's GDP
Per capita GDP (2001): R39 089. Gauteng has the highest per-capita GDP
Capital: Johannesburg
Urbanisation: 97%
Languages: In rough order of popularity, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Sesotho, English, Sepedi and Setswana.
Borders with provinces: North-west province, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, Free State.
Before 1994 Gauteng was part of the Transvaal province. In 1995 the province name was changed from "Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging".
Gauteng is one of the five landlocked provinces.
The division of the country into nine provinces was made in 1994, after the mass-democratic non-racial elections. Before that the Gauteng area was the urban south-central part of the Transvaal province, and was before referred to as the PWV, for the three towns on the corners: Pretoria (now Tshwane), Witwatersrand and Vereeniging. Johannesburg (the biggest city), Soweto and Randfontein lie between them. The province is inland, on the highveld, just north of the Vaal river.
Mining, Technology, Finance and Manufacturing are the main economic activites in Gauteng. Gauteng is the economic and population hub of South Africa, densely populated, urbanised and relatively affluent as you can see from the figures. Gauteng creates 34% of South Africa's GDP, which amounts to 9% of the GDP of the continent of Africa.
Gauteng also houses the administrative capital of South Africa, in
Tshwane /
Pretoria.
The cities are here because of the gold, discovered in 1886. Gold gives the province its name; Gauteng means "place of gold" in Sesotho, "Gaut" being a loanword from the Afrikaans "goud".
People from Gauteng have a reputation for being fast-moving and businesslike, yet outgoing and willing to talk to strangers.
Though many vsitors to South Africa arrive at Johannesburg, and many do business in Gauteng, those seeking big game and other typically african sights to see will probably leave the borders of Gauteng. Johannesburg has a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
The nine provinces of
South Africa are
Western Cape,
Eastern Cape,
Northern Cape,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Free State,
Gauteng,
North-West Province,
Mpumalanga,
Limpopo
Sources:
http://www.saweb.co.za/provs.html
http://www.statoids.com/uza.html
http://www.southafrica-newyork.net/consulate/provinces.htm
http://www.sairr.org.za/members/pub/ff/200309/provinces
www.gauteng.net/
Wikipedia
This is I think a good time to tell a Gauteng joke. Such jokes usually revolve around the rampant theft and violent crime in the area, indeed in all major South African cities. You may also hear these jokes as Johannesburg jokes or as South Africa jokes.
So one day Saint Peter is doing the usual doorman duty, standing at the pearly gates of heaven, letting in the righteous and keeping the rest out. It's a slow day, and not much is happening.
Then suddenly a party of thirty people arrives unexpectedly. Saint Peter looks in the book, but they're not listed. "How did you come to be here?" he asks.
The spokesman explains that they are from Gauteng, and their minibus crashed, killing the driver and all the passengers, and here they are.
"Gauteng, eh? A very wicked place. I don't know" says Peter. "You're not listed in the book of the righteous due to arrive today. But you're not listed in the other book either. Something's amiss. I'd better go inside and ask the boss-man what to do. You just wait here."
So Saint Peter goes into heaven and approaches The Celestial Throne. He explains that there's an unexpected party of thirty from Gauteng at the gates.
"FROM GAUTENG?" Comes the reply from on high. "LET'S APPLY THE TEST LIKE THAT OTHER SINFUL CITY. IF YOU CAN FIND ONE AMONG THEM WHO HAS LIVED A VIRTUOUS LIFE, THEN LET THEM IN"
"That's a good idea", says Peter, and goes out. A minute later, he comes running back towards the throne, crying out "They're gone! They're gone!"
"WHAT, ALL THIRTY OF THEM?" comes the question.
"No!" cries Peter. "The pearly gates!"