Polokwane

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Polokwane (previously known as Pietersburg) is a city, municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province in South Africa.

1 History
2 Climate
3 Polokwane Municipality
4 Tourism
5 External links

[edit] History

In the 1840s, Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town 100 km to the south east. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes. They founded a new town in 1886 and named it Pietersburg in honour of Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The British built a concentration camp here during the Boer War to house almost 4,000 Boer women and children. The town became a city on 23 April 1992 and on the 11 June 2003 changed its name to Polokwane.

[edit] Climate

Despite its position on the tropic of Capricorn, the climate is superb because the city is on a plateau thirteen hundred meters above sea level. Average temperatures reaching a high of 27 °C in summer and 20°C in winter permit outdoor living all year round.

The excellent climate makes Polokwane an ideal place to live and also promotes sport and recreation. Summer rainfall varies between 400 - 600 mm per year.

[edit] Polokwane Municipality

The Polokwane Municipality's area accounts for 3% of Limpopo province's total surface area and about 10% of the Limpopo's population resides in the Municipal area. Given the fact that Polokwane serves as the Limpopo's economic hub, it has the highest population density in the Capricorn district. The majority of Polokwane's population is rural. This simply shows that the largest sector of the community within the municipal resides in rural tribal villages followed by urban settlements.

[edit] Tourism

This area is seen as a place of "myths and legends". There is lots of game viewing opportunities, making Polokwane a popular eco-tourism destination in Southern Africa. Limpopo is divided into four tourism regions, each representing a microcosm of the area's varied and interesting cultures.

Other attractions include:

The Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, which depicts the traditional and modern-day lifestyle of this people.
The Polokwane Game Reserve, which has more than 21 species and offers scenic walks.
The Savannah Centre, a modern shopping centre.

Peter Mokaba Stadium will be used for matches for the 2010 World Cup