Map of Gauteng
Gauteng is a first-level division of South Africa. Its largest mapped city is Johannesburg, with about 3.44 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Gauteng, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the lakes nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Johannesburg
- Country
- South Africa
Interactive Map of Gauteng
About Gauteng
Gauteng ( khow-TENG, Sotho: [xɑ́.úˈtʼèŋ̀]; Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; Zulu: eGoli or iGoli [îːˈɡóːlì]) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only 1.5% of the country's land area, it is the most populous province in South Africa, with more than a quarter (26%) of the national population; the provincial population was approximately 16.1 million, according to mid-year 2022 estimates. Highly urbanised, the province's capital is also the country's largest city, Johannesburg. Gauteng is the wealthiest province in South Africa and is considered the financial hub of South Africa; the financial activity is mostly concentrated in Johannesburg. It also contains South Africa's administrative capital, Pretoria, and other large areas such as Midrand, Vanderbijlpark, Ekurhuleni and the affluent Sandton. The largest township, Soweto, is also found in this province. Politically, it is the most closely contested province between the nationalist African National Congress and the liberal Democratic Alliance in South Africa.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Gauteng (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Gauteng in Depth
History
Gauteng was formed from part of the old Transvaal province after South Africa's first multiracial elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially called Pretoria–Witwatersrand–Vereeniging (PWV) and was renamed "Gauteng" on the 28th of June 1995, the same day two other provinces were renamed. The term "PWV" describing the region existed long before the establishment of a province by that name, with the "V" sometimes standing for "Vaal Triangle" rather than Vereeniging.
At the Sterkfontein caves, some of the oldest fossils of hominids have been discovered, such as Mrs. Ples and Little Foot.
Events in this area were not written down until the 19th century; information from before that time is lost or difficult to confirm.
Geography
Gauteng's southern border is the Vaal River, which separates it from the Free State. It also borders on North West to the west, Limpopo to the north, and Mpumalanga to the east. Gauteng is the only landlocked province of South Africa without a foreign border. Most of Gauteng is on the Highveld, a high-altitude grassland (circa 1,500 m or 4,921 ft above sea level). Between Johannesburg and Pretoria, there are low parallel ridges and undulating hills, some part of the Magaliesberg Mountains and the Witwatersrand. The north of the province is more subtropical, due to its lower altitude and is mostly dry savanna habitat.
Economy
Gauteng is considered the economic hub of South Africa and contributes heavily in the financial, manufacturing, transport, technology, and telecommunications sectors, among others. It also plays host to a large number of overseas companies requiring a commercial base in and gateway to Africa.
Gauteng is home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in Africa. Some of the largest companies in Africa and abroad are based in Gauteng, or have offices and branches there, such as Vodacom, MTN, Neotel, Microsoft South Africa and the largest Porsche Centre in the world.
Demographics
As of the 2022 census, Gauteng had a population of 15,099,422, an increase of 23.0% from the last census in 2011. Despite being the smallest province by area, it has the highest population of any South African province, with 24.3% of the total South African population.
As of 2022, there are 5,318,665 households in Gauteng. The population density is 831/km2. The density of households is 155.86/km2.
About 22.1% of all households are made up of individuals. The average household size fell slightly between the 2011 census and 2022 census, from 3.1 to 2.8 persons.
The province's age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 15, 19.6% from 15 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Gauteng (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Gauteng: Key Facts
| Population | 15,099,422 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 18,178 km² |
| Capital | Johannesburg |
| Head of government | Andrek Panyaza Lesufi |
| Established | 27 April 1994 |
Facts from Wikidata Q133083 (CC0).
History of Gauteng: Empires and States
The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of Gauteng, from South African Republic in 1856 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| South African Republic | 1856–1899 CE |
| British Cape Colony | 1877–1884 CE |
| The British Empire | 1877–1931 CE |
| British Africa | 1900–1931 CE |
| South Africa | 1932–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Gauteng
Gauteng on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the provinces in the northeast of South Africa. The word "Gauteng" is a Sesotho phrase meaning "Place of gold", referencing to the thriving gold industry following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. The province is the centre of South Africa's industrial and commerce sectors.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Gauteng (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Gauteng
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 3.44 million | Gauteng | National capital |
| 2 | Benoni | 2.99 million | Gauteng | Populated place |
| 3 | Pretoria | 1.34 million | Gauteng | National capital |
| 4 | Vereeniging | 1.07 million | Gauteng | Populated place |
| 5 | Springs | 236,083 | Gauteng | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Gauteng
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaal Dam | 414 km² | Reservoir |
Gauteng: Quick Answers
- Where is Gauteng?
- Gauteng is a first-level division of South Africa, in Africa. Its mapped cities centre on 26.1876° S, 28.1943° E.
- What is the largest city in Gauteng?
- Johannesburg is the largest city mapped in Gauteng, with a metropolitan population of about 3.44 million.
- How many cities are in Gauteng?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Gauteng, with a combined metropolitan population of about 9.07 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Gauteng?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Gauteng is Vaal Dam, at about 414 km².