Provinces of South Africa
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South Africa is currently divided into nine provinces. On the eve of the 1994 general election, South Africa's former homelands, also known as Bantustans, were reintegrated and the four existing provinces were divided into nine. In December 2005 the 12th amendment of the constitution changed the borders of seven of the provinces*. The provinces are as follows:
*On 18 August 2006 the Constitutional Court ruled that the part of the 12 amendment dealing with the transfer of Matatiele from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape was unconstitutional due to insufficient consultation. [1]
| Province | Capital | Abbreviation | Area (km²) | Largest city | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Cape¹ | Cape Town | WC | 129,370 | Cape Town | 4,839,800 |
| Northern Cape | Kimberley | NC | 361,830 | Kimberley | 1,102,200 |
| Eastern Cape | Bhisho | EC | 169,580 | Port Elizabeth | 6,906,200 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | Pietermaritzburg² | KZN, KZ, or KN | 92,100 | Durban | 10,014,500 |
| Free State | Bloemfontein | FS | 129,480 | Bloemfontein | 2,965,600 |
| North West | Mafikeng | NW | 116,320 | Rustenburg | 3,394,200 |
| Gauteng | Johannesburg | GP or GT | 17,010 | Johannesburg | 9,688,100 |
| Mpumalanga | Nelspruit | MP | 79,490 | Nelspruit | 3,536,300 |
| Limpopo | Polokwane | LP | 123,900 | Polokwane | 5,402,900 |
¹: The Prince Edward Islands are a South African territory in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, for legal purposes considered to be part of the Western Cape.
²: Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi shared being capital of KwaZulu-Natal during 1994–2004.
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[edit] History
Since the establishing of the Union of South Africa in 1910, South Africa had four provinces consisting of the divisions which existed prior to the Second Boer War: two British colonies (the Cape Colony and Natal Colony) and two Boer republics (the Orange Free State and Transvaal Republic). Segregation of the black population started as early as 1913, with ownership of land by the black majority being restricted to certain areas totaling about 13% of the country. From the late 1950s, these areas were gradually consolidated into "homelands" or "bantustans," which served as the de jure national states of the black population during the apartheid era. In 1976, the homeland of Transkei was the first to accept independence from South Africa, and although this independence was never acknowledged by any other country, three other homelands followed suit.
[edit] Provinces from 1910 to 1994
- Cape Province (Cape Town)
- Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
- Orange Free State (Bloemfontein)
- Transvaal (Pretoria)
[edit] Independent Homelands
These Independent Homelands were known as the TBVC States.
- Transkei (Mthatha). Declared independent in 1976.
- Bophuthatswana (Mmabatho). Declared independent in 1977.
- Venda (Thohoyandou). Declared independent in 1979
- Ciskei (Bhisho). Declared independent in 1981.
[edit] Non-Independent Homelands
- Gazankulu (Giyani)
- KaNgwane (Louieville)
- KwaNdebele (Siyabuswa)
- KwaZulu (Ulundi)
- Lebowa (Lebowakgomo)
- Qwaqwa (Phuthaditjhaba)
[edit] See also
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