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. The twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth amendments to the constitution changed the borders of seven of the provinces. The provinces are as follows:
Province | Capital | Largest city | Area (km²)[1] | Population (2007)[2] | Pop. density (per km²) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Cape | Bhisho | Port Elizabeth | 169,580 | 6,527,747 | 38.5 |
Free State | Bloemfontein | Bloemfontein | 129,480 | 2,773,059 | 21.4 |
Gauteng | Johannesburg | Johannesburg | 17,010 | 10,451,713 | 614.4 |
KwaZulu-Natal | Pietermaritzburg² | Durban | 92,100 | 10,259,230 | 111.4 |
Limpopo | Polokwane | Polokwane | 123,910 | 5,238,286 | 42.3 |
Mpumalanga | Mbombela | Mbombela | 79,490 | 3,643,435 | 45.8 |
North West | Mafikeng | Rustenburg | 116,320 | 3,271,948 | 28.1 |
Northern Cape | Kimberley | Kimberley | 361,830 | 1,058,060 | 2.9 |
Western Cape¹ | Cape Town | Cape Town | 129,370 | 5,278,585 | 40.8 |
¹: The Prince Edward Islands, South African territories in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean that are part of the Western Cape for legal purposes, are not included in these statistics.
²: Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi were joint capitals of KwaZulu-Natal from 1994 to 2004.
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.
Provinces from 1910 to 1994
- Cape Province (Cape Town)
- Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
- Orange Free State (Bloemfontein)
- Transvaal (Pretoria)
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.
Non-Independent Homelands
- Gazankulu (Giyani)
- KaNgwane (Louieville)
- KwaNdebele (Siyabuswa)
- KwaZulu (Ulundi)
- Lebowa (Lebowakgomo)
- Qwaqwa (Phuthaditjhaba)
See also
- Elections in South Africa
- Prince Edward Islands
- Ranked list of South African provinces
- Walvis Bay
- ISO 3166-2:ZA
References
- ^ Burger, Delien, ed. (2009). "The land and its people". South Africa Yearbook 2008/09. Pretoria: Government Communication & Information System. pp. 7–24. ISBN 978-0-621-38412-3. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Community Survey 2007: Basic results" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. p. 2. Retrieved 23 September 2009.