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Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa. The city has about 5.6 million inhabitants, together with the suburbs there are even more than 8 million.
The city is located on a plateau in the northeast of the country, where it is mostly very dry. Several other major cities are located nearby, including the capital Pretoria. The people there mainly speak the African languages Zulu and Sesotho, English or Afrikaans, which is related to Dutch.
Johannesburg is an important city for the economy, not only for South Africa, but for the whole of Africa. The largest and most important stock exchange on the continent is located in Johannesburg. Shares of large companies are traded here. There are many high-rise buildings in the Hillbrow district. The Carlton Centre is 223 metres high. When it was built in 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in the Southern Hemisphere. In it, first of all, there are offices. For some money, tourists can go all the way to the top.
The city was founded in 1883. At that time, large amounts of gold were found nearby. Many Europeans emigrated there to become prospectors. The city got its name from the Dutch. The first name “Johannes” is unusual in English and African languages, so many abbreviate the city name or use a different one. The Zulu, for example, call Johannesburg “eGoli”, which means as much as Gold City.
However, people have been living in the area for much longer: archaeologists have found a skeleton in a cave that is about 3.3 million years old. This is the oldest skeleton of a human being that has ever been found as a whole.
Johannesburg or “Joburg”, as the city of gold is usually simply called, is the largest metropolis of South Africa and the entire African continent. With its approximately 4 million inhabitants, the city on the Witwatersrand is the outstanding economic center and the economic engine of the Republic of South Africa. Almost a fifth of South Africa’s gross national product is generated in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg, located in the north-east of South Africa, is the economic metropolis of the country.
Johannesburg – The “City of Gold” bears numerous names.
The name of the city of Johannesburg varies among the ethnicities of South Africa. Johannesburg is called Egoli by the Zulu, eRhawutini by the Xhosa and Gauteng by the Sotho. The latter designation is the official name of the province around Johannesburg.
Although it is not the most beautiful of the South African cities, it has its own charm. The heart of Johannesburg is a microcosm of the country, a cultural mirror of the past, present and future.
What language do they speak in Johannesburg?
Why is Johannesburg so famous?
What is Johannesburg called today?
