Upington | |||
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Aerial view of Upington's Central Business District | |||
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Nickname(s): Olyfenhoutsdrift | |||
Motto: The People Govern / Die Mense Regeer | |||
Upington
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Coordinates: | |||
Country | South Africa | ||
Province | Northern Cape | ||
District municipality | Siyanda | ||
Local municipality | //Khara Hais | ||
Established | 1873[1] | ||
Municipal government | 1898 | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Local Municipality | ||
• Mayor | Gift van Staden (ANC) | ||
• Municipal Manager | W.J.B. Engelbrecht | ||
Area[2] | |||
• Total | 3,444.2240 km2 (1,329.8 sq mi) | ||
Highest elevation | 848 m (2,782 ft) | ||
Lowest elevation | 805 m (2,641 ft) | ||
Population (2007)[3] | |||
• Total | 100,920 | ||
• Density | 29.3/km2 (75.9/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) | ||
Postal code | 8800 | ||
Area code(s) | +27 (0)54 | ||
Website | www.kharahais.gov.za www.greenkalahari.co.za |
Upington is a town founded in 1884 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was named after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General and then Prime Minister of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established in 1875 and run by Reverend Schröder. The mission station now houses the town museum, known as the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognizes the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th Century.
The elevation of Upington is 2742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls, arguably the greatest of South African waterfalls. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange river.
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Upington's most famous wines are produced by an organization generally known as Orange River Wine Cellars (OWC). The organization has six depots in the area (all of them on the banks of the Orange River) at Upington, Kanoneiland, Grootdrink, Kakamas, Keimoes and Groblershoop. The wines from OWC are exported, inter alia, to Europe and the USA. Dig a little deeper and you'll find privately owned cellars, producing quality red and white wines as well. Bezalel Dyasonsklip offers a variety of local treasures, such as low tanin red wines, 5 year old Pot-stilled brandy, a mampoer range and liqueurs. The Upington region accounts for more or less 40% of South Africa's grape exports.
Upington has a modern airport with scheduled flights provided by SA Airlink (an affiliate of South African Airways).[4] The airport's runway, spanning 4900m,[5] is one of the longest in the world and the longest in Africa. Until the 1960s, the airport was also the site of the annual gliding world championships.
In the first half of the 20th century there was a passenger train service from Cape Town to Upington. Until the 1950s a narrow-gauge railway line (two foot gauge) ran from Upington to Kakamas and Keimoes, two nearby towns. The trains carried passengers and freight, being mainly dried fruit. The line to Kakamas was still in use during the November 2010 grape harvest season.[6]
Upington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Upington is located on the northern banks of the Orange River and is surrounded by irrigated vineyards.[8] The hottest month of the year is January, with average daily temperatures swinging from 36 °C (97 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F), while in the coolest month of July temperatures range between 21 °C (70 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F).[7] Also the dryest month of the year, July sees an average rainfall of only 2 millimetres (0.079 in), while the wettest month of March sees 37 millimetres (1.5 in).
Climate data for Upington | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 42 (108) |
42 (108) |
41 (106) |
38 (100) |
34 (93) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
33 (91) |
39 (102) |
40 (104) |
41 (106) |
43 (109) |
43 (109) |
Average high °C (°F) | 36 (97) |
34 (93) |
32 (90) |
28 (82) |
24 (75) |
21 (70) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
27 (81) |
30 (86) |
33 (91) |
35 (95) |
29 (84) |
Average low °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
20 (68) |
18 (64) |
13 (55) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
4 (39) |
6 (43) |
9 (48) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
19 (66) |
13 (55) |
Record low °C (°F) | 10 (50) |
9 (48) |
5 (41) |
2 (36) |
−2 (28) |
−5 (23) |
−6 (21) |
−7 (19) |
−2 (28) |
2 (36) |
5 (41) |
6 (43) |
−7 (19) |
Precipitation mm (inches) | 24 (0.94) |
35 (1.38) |
37 (1.46) |
26 (1.02) |
10 (0.39) |
4 (0.16) |
2 (0.08) |
4 (0.16) |
4 (0.16) |
9 (0.35) |
17 (0.67) |
17 (0.67) |
189 (7.44) |
Avg. precipitation days | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 37 |
Source: South African Weather Service[7] |
Sister city
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Municipalities and communities of Siyanda District Municipality, Northern Cape District seat: Upington |
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Local municipalities |
Kai !Garib • Kgatelopele • //Khara Hais • !Kheis • Mier • Tsantsabane |
Cities and towns |
Alheit • Augrabies • Bloemsmond • Boegoeberg • Cillie • Danielskuil • Gannaput • Glosam • Groblershoop • Groot Mier • Grootdrink • Kakamas • Kanoneiland • Karos • Keimoes • Kenhardt • Klippunt • Lambrechtsdrif • Leerkrans • Lime Acres • Louisvale • Loxtonberg • Lutzberg • Marchand • Philandersbron • Postmasburg • Raaswater • Riemvasmaak • Rietfontein • Straussburg • Swartkop • Upington • Wegdraai |