Highveld

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The Highveld is a high plateau area of South Africa which includes the largest metropolitan area in the country, the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area, and one-third of South Africa's population. The Highveld covers parts of the Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, and Limpopo provinces, and virtually all of Gauteng and the Free State. The Highveld is bordered by the Bushveld and the Lowveld in the North, Northeast, and Northwest, the Drakensberg mountains to the East and Southeast, the Kalahari desert in the West, and the Great Karoo to the Southwest. The South African highveld covers an area of almost 400,000 square kilometres, or roughly 30% of South Africa's land area.

Other cities located on the Highveld include Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, Soweto, Bloemfontein, Vereeniging, Welkom, Carletonville, and the cities of the West Rand and East Rand. The diamond-mining city of Kimberley lies on the border of the Highveld and the Southeastern Kalahari.

Approximately half the Gold ever produced in the World has been mined in the Highveld since the 1880s. The largest deposits are located in the Witwatersrand, centred on Johannesburg, with smaller deposits in the Northern Free State near Welkom and Virginia. The Highveld is also exceedingly rich in Vanadium, Diamonds, Coal, and Manganese.

Agriculture in the Highveld is generally dominated by extensive Grain production and the grazing of Beef Cattle, with more intensive production of Maize, Wheat, Sorghum, Citrus fruits, Groundnuts, Sunflowers, Vegetables, and other crops occurring in irrigated areas and farmland closer to urban areas.

Naturally occurring vegetation in the Highveld consists of Sub-tropical and Temperate Grassland, with true Savannah not dominating the ecosystem until more tropical latitudes. The Highveld Rainy season occurs in Summer, with substantial afternoon thunderstorms being typical occurrences in November, December, and January.