Johannesburg

Location Name

Johannesburg

Description

Location: Seat of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and capital of the Gauteng province. Home to the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest court. South Africa’s largest and most populous city.

Founded: 1886, after the discovery of gold, close to the Witwatersrand Main Reef (or ‘Rand’ for short – also the name of the South African currency). Originally part of the Transvaal province.

Name: In isiZulu as eGoli (gold). Colloquial name: Jo’burg, Jozi.

Economy: Classified as a megacity - at a surface area of an area of 2 300km2 it is larger than Sydney, London, and New York. Serves as South Africa’s main industrial and financial centre. Houses the Chamber of Mines, which regulates the mining industry. Extensive manufacturing, in response to global trends as well as an engineering sector to serve the mining industry. Most of South Africa’s banks, insurance companies, and building societies are headquartered in Johannesburg. Home to most state ministries, as well as foreign consulates and embassies.

Previous numberplate: TJ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_South_Africa), see entry for Johannesburg 03.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg

https://joburg.org.za/Pages/homepage.aspx

https://joburg.org.za/work_/Pages/Work%20in%20Joburg/General%20Advice/Links/Overview.aspx

https://joburg.org.za/about_/Pages/About%20the%20City/About%20Joburg/Facts-about-Joburg.aspx

https://municipalities.co.za/overview/2/city-of-johannesburg-metropolitan-municipality

https://www.britannica.com/place/Johannesburg-South-Africa

Administrative Level

Town

Province

Gauteng