Witwatersrand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the university in Johannesburg, see: University of the Witwatersrand
Witwatersrand is a low mountain range which runs through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in the Afrikaans language means "the ridge of white waters". It forms a continental divide with water that runs off to the north draining into the Indian Ocean and water that runs off the south draining into the Atlantic. This is also apparent in slight climatic changes in the area, as the low range of hills produces a windward/leeward effect, with Johannesburg's northern suburbs being more lush and well-watered, and the south more dry and arid. The Witwatersrand is part of the province of Gauteng, which was called the PWV Province for a brief period as an acronym for Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Vereeniging or Vaal Triangle.
The "Rand" or reef, as the Witwatersrand is sometimes known, is famous for being the source of 40% of the gold ever mined from the earth. It is 100 kilometres (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometres (12,000 feet) deep in places. It is the rich mineral wealth of the Witwatersrand which is the reason for the South African currency being named after it. (See: Rand).
The Witwatersrand is also another name often used to describe the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area, which spans the length of the gold-bearing reef. The metropolitan area is oblong in shape and runs from the area of Randfontein and Carletonville in the west to Springs in the east. It includes the vast urban areas of the East and West Rand, and Soweto.
