Limpopo

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Limpopo
Coat of Arms of Limpopo
Location of the Limpopo Province
Capital Polokwane
Largest city Polokwane
Premier Sello Moloto (ANC)
Area
- Total		 Ranked 5th
123,900 km²
Population
 - Total (2007)
 - Density		 Ranked 4th
5,402,900
44/km²
Languages Sepedi (57%)
Tsonga (23%)
Venda (12%)
Afrikaans (2.6%)
Ethnic composition Black (97.3%)
White (2.4%)
Coloured (0.2%)
Asian (0.1%)
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"Northern Transvaal" redirects here. For the rugby union team, see Blue Bulls.
This article is about the province in South Africa. For the river with the same name, see Limpopo River.

Limpopo (pronounced /lɪmˈpoʊpoʊ/) is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, former called Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of the Transvaal province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal. The following year, it was renamed Northern Province, which remained the name until 11 June 2003, when the name of the province was formally changed to the name of its most important river, on the border with Zimbabwe and Botswana, after deliberation by the provincial government. Another notable consideration for the name was Mapungubwe, the area where the most ancient gold-using civilisation of the province was discovered a few years earlier.

97.3% of the population is Black, 2.4% is White, 0.2% is Coloured, and 0.1% is Indian/Asian. The most common spoken languages are Tsonga, Northern Sotho (Sepedi), Venda and Afrikaans.

Contents

[edit] Law and government

Main article: Politics of Limpopo

The current premier of Limpopo province is Sello Moloto of the African National Congress.

[edit] Population

The population of Limpopo consists of several ethnic groups distinguished by culture, language and race. The Northern Sotho (Sepedi) make up the largest number, being nearly 57%. The Tsonga (Shangaan) speakers comprise 23% while the Venda make up 12%. Afrikaans speakers make up 2.6% while English-speaking whites are less than half a per cent. Within the borders of the province are the four previous administrations which were created during the apartheid era: Lebowa, Gazankulu, Venda and Transvaal Administration

[edit] Geography

Limpopo Province shares international borders with districts and provinces of three countries: Botswana's Central and Kgatleng districts to the west and north-west respectively, Zimbabwe's Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces to the north and northeast respectively, and Mozambique's Gaza Province to the east. The province is the link between South Africa and countries further afield in sub-Saharan Africa. On its southern flank from east to west, the province shares borders with Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and North West. Its border with Gauteng includes that province's Johannesburg-Pretoria axis, the most industrious metropole on the continent. Thus the province is placed at the centre of regional, national, and international developing markets.

The province has excellent road, rail, and air links. The N1 route from Johannesburg, which extends the length of the province, is the busiest overland route in Africa in terms of cross-border trade in raw materials and beneficiated goods. The port of Durban, Africa’s busiest, is served directly by the province, as are the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo. The Gateway International Airport is situated in Polokwane, the capital of the province.

Map showing predominant home languages in the province.
Map showing predominant home languages in the province.

The province contains much of the Waterberg Biosphere, a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve. The Waterberg Biosphere, a massif of approximately 15,000 square kilometers, is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The massif was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform.[1] The Waterberg ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg there are archaeological finds dating to the Stone Age, and nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans.

[edit] Municipalities

Limpopo Province is divided into five municipal districts, subdivided in 24 local municipalities:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ C.Michael Hogan, Mark L. Cooke and Helen Murray, The Waterberg Biosphere, Lumina Technologies, May 22, 2006. [1]

[edit] External links

Template:Limpopo province

Coordinates: 24°00′S, 29°30′E