Johannesburg travel guide — Johannesburg tourism and travel information

Welcome to Johannesburg Travel Guide, extensive source of tourist information and travel services offer related to Johannesburg and South Africa. Book cheap hotels, cheap flights and get car rental. We also offer Johannesburg travel guide books and maps and atlases. Please visit South Africa travel guide for more travel and tourism iformation and attractions in the South Africa.

our Johannesburg travel guide — Johannesburg tourism and travel information content

Johannesburg travel and tourist guide
Johannesburg travel services
Johannesburg travel books
- Johannesburg travel guide books
- Johannesburg maps and atlases

latest Johannesburg and South Africa discussion posts

Join our comprehensive travel discussion board! Share your Johannesburg and South Africa travel experience! Our Ask and Answer forum is geographically divided, the team of editors world-wide is ready to answer your questions.

insert new comment or question »

Johannesburg travel guide

about Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa, and the second most populous in Sub-Saharan Africa behind Lagos. Local residents fondly refer to the city as "Jo'burg." Johannesburg is the provincial capital of the most wealthy province in South Africa, Gauteng Province. Johannesburg is among the newest major cities in the world, and was only founded in the late 1800's.

Johannesburg is the financial capital of South Africa, hosting Africa's largest stock exchange, the JSE Securities Exchange. Johannesburg is also the centre of the gold and diamond trade in South Africa, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand. Johannesburg has Africa's largest and busiest international airport, Johannesburg International Airport, which has many international links to cities around the world via South African Airways.

Johannesburg has a population of more than three million (2001 South African National Census). Johannesburg's land area of 1,644 km² (1019,2 square miles) is very large when compared to other cities, hence Johannesburg's population density is very low, at only 1,962/km².

The metropolitan area population is over 6 million, based on projections from the 2001 census, which includes figures for the East and West Rand. These areas are functionally integrated into the Johannesburg conurbation, in much the same way as Riverside and San Bernardino are integrated into the Los Angeles metropole. Rand McNally's definition of an urban area takes into account functional integration, "irrespective of administrative boundaries." It is for this reason that both the New York and Tokyo metro areas include parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, and Yokohama.

Johannesburg is twinned with Birmingham, England and New York City.

Johannesburg geography

Johannesburg is in the southern hemisphere, and thus experiences the opposite seasons from the northern hemisphere. Thus, when it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in Johannesburg and vice-versa. Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa, known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1753 metres (5751 feet), which enjoys a dry, sunny climate with the exception of occasional late afternoon downpours from the months of October to April.

In the winter, the average maximum daytime temperature is around 20°c, while the average summer daytime temperature is around 25*c. During the winter, the temperature occasionally drops to below freezing, causing frost. The annual average rainful is 600 mm to 800 mm, which is mostly concentrated in the summer months.

Johannesburg's relatively dry climate has not stopped local residents and the city council from planting an abundance of trees, and the city prides itself on having the most planted trees of any city, about 6 million, which has created an artificial rainforest-like atmosphere, especially in the lush northern suburbs.

Johannesburg history

The region surrounding Johannesburg has been inhabited for millions of years. The discovery of the three and a half million year old Australopithecus africanus in a cave Northwest of Johannesburg in 1998 is among the oldest human skeletons ever found.

Much later, around 100,000 BC, South Africa became home to the nomadic San people. The San continued to live in South Africa until the Khoikhoi and other Bantu-speaking people migrated into the area around 500 BC. The Bantu people were Iron Age people who domesticated animals, farmed crops, worked metal, made pottery, and lived in villages.

Johannesburg is situated in the northeastern quadrant of South Africa, and is one of the largest cities in the world not built next to a major body of water. Other such cities in the world are Mexico City and Phoenix. That Johannesburg became what it is today is testament to the gold rush in the region towards the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century.

Having initially discovered gold in the nearby Eastern regions of Barberton and the area now known as Pilgrims Rest in the 1880's, prospectors soon discovered that even richer pickings were to be had on the Witwatersrand region.

The town was initially much the same as any small prospecting settlement, but as word spread, people flocked to the area from all other regions of the country as well as from North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. As the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the Afrikaaners, who controlled the region during the nineteenth century and the British, culminating in the South African War of 1899 to 1902. The Boers lost the war and control of this province, known as Transvaal, to the British.

When the British declared South Africa a Union in 1910, this paved the way for a more organised mining structure. The South African government instituted a harsh racial system whereby Blacks and Indians were heavily taxed, barred from holding skilled jobs and consequently forced to work as migrant labour on Johannesburg's growing crop of goldmines.

The South African government then instituted a system of forced removals, moving the black and coloured population into specified areas.

It is this system that created the sprawling shantytown of Soweto (South West Township), one of the areas where Blacks were forced to live during the Apartheid era.

Nelson Mandela spent many years living in Soweto and his Soweto home in Orlando is currently a major tourist attraction.

On the opposite side of the scale, Sophiatown during the early years of the twentieth century was a vibrant centre in which many races lived alongside each other in relative calm. However, the National Party government changed that with its policy of Apartheid in the 1960's, forcibly removing residents in favour of a "whites only" policy and renaming the area "Triomf" (literally meaning "Triumph"). The area has since reverted to its original name of "Sophiatown."

Large-scale violence broke out in 1976 when the Soweto Students' Representative Council organised protests against the use of Afrikaans, considered to be the language of the oppressors, in black schools. Police shot into a student march, and 1000 people died in the proceeding 12 months protesting the Apartheid system.

The regulations of Apartheid were abandoned in February of 1990, and since the 1994 elections, Johannesburg has, in theory, been free of discriminatory laws. The black townships have been integrated into the municipal government system, and to some extent, the suburbs have become multiracial.

As is the case with other parts of the developing and developed world, problems remain in post-Apartheid Johannesburg. The city is a dichotomy of wealth and poverty, of opulent First World and derelict Third World.

Near cities to Johannesburg

Near webcams to Johannesburg

Johannesburg travel services

choose from our international travel services offer:

cheap flights to Johannesburg

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of four main cheap airline tickets and cheap flights online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap airline tickets Johannesburg, cheap flights Johannesburg, also available cheap airline tickets to South Africa and to the whole world. Up to date cheap flights Johannesburg deals also available.

cheap Johannesburg hotels

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap hotels and accommodation online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap hotels in Johannesburg, South Africa hotel guide and cheap hotels and accommodation in lot of other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Johannesburg hotel deals and discount accommodation tips also available.

cheap Johannesburg vacations

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap vacations online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap vacations in Johannesburg, South Africa vacation rentals and cheap vacations in lot of other destinations world-wide. Up to date Johannesburg vacation deals also available.

cheap car rentals in Johannesburg

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main car rentals online booking systems. We are happy to offer car rentals in Johannesburg, car hire in South Africa and cheap car rental in lot other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Johannesburg car hire deals also available.

Johannesburg travel insurance

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of Essential Travel Ltd., leading online travel insurance company, we can offer you health travel insurance for Johannesburg, accident health Johannesburg travel insurance, all using our online Johannesburg travel insurance form. We also offer travel insurance for other cities in South Africa. This offer is available for UK residents only.

Johannesburg real estate

City Travel Guide comes with Johannesburg real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Johannesburg property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in South Africa, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg travel books

Johannesburg travel guide books

Johannesburg maps and atlases

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Johannesburg".

Europe

North America

South America

Asia

Australia

Africa

world city travel guides

Africa city travel guide

South Africa city travel guide

Johannesburg, South Africa travel guide