Map of Northern Cape
Northern Cape is a first-level division of South Africa. Its largest mapped city is Kimberley, with about 165,264 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Northern Cape, and the tables list its 10 mapped cities along with the lakes, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 10
- Largest City
- Kimberley
- Country
- South Africa
Interactive Map of Northern Cape
About Northern Cape
The Northern Cape (Afrikaans: Noord-Kaap [ˈnuərtkɑːp]; Tswana: Kapa Bokone; Xhosa: eMntla-Kapa; Khoekhoe: Nama!hub) is one of the 9 provinces in South Africa.
The Northern Cape is the largest province accounting for 30.5% of the country's overall land area while being the most sparsely populated province in South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and an international park shared with Botswana. It also includes the Augrabies Falls and the diamond mining regions in Kimberley and Alexander Bay.
The Namaqualand region in the west is famous for its Namaqualand daisies. The southern towns of De Aar and Colesberg found within the Great Karoo are major transport nodes between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Gqeberha. Kuruman can be found in the north-east and is known as a mission station. It is also well known for its artesian spring and Eye of Kuruman. The Orange River flows through the province, forming the borders with the Free State in the southeast and with Namibia to the northwest. The river is also used to irrigate the many vineyards in the arid region near Upington.
Native speakers of Afrikaans comprise a higher percentage of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province. The Northern Cape's four official languages are Afrikaans, Tswana, Xhosa, and English. Minorities speak the other official languages of South Africa and a few people speak indigenous languages such as Nama and Khwe.
The provincial motto, Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi ("We go to a better life"), is in the Nǀu language of the Nǁnǂe (ǂKhomani) people. It was given in 1997 by one of the language's last speakers, Ms. Elsie Vaalbooi of Rietfontein, who has since died. It was South Africa's first officially registered motto in a Khoisan language. Subsequently, South Africa's national motto, ǃKe e ǀxarra ǁke, was derived from the extinct ǀXam language.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Northern Cape (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Northern Cape in Depth
History
The Northern Cape was one of three provinces made out of the Cape Province in 1994, the others being Western Cape to the south and Eastern Cape to the southeast. Politically, it had been dominated since 1994 by the African National Congress (ANC). Ethnic issues are important in the politics of the Northern Cape. For example, it is the site of the Orania settlement, whose leaders have called for a Volkstaat for the Afrikaner people in the province.
The Northern Cape is also the home of over 1,000 San who emigrated from Namibia following the independence of the country; they had served as trackers and scouts for the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War, and feared reprisals from their former foes.
Geography
The Northern Cape is South Africa's largest province, and distances between towns are enormous due to its sparse population. Its size is just shy of the size of the American state of Montana and slightly larger than that of Germany. The province is dominated by the Karoo Basin and consists mostly of sedimentary rocks and some dolerite intrusions. The south and south-east of the province is high-lying, 1,200–1,900 metres (3,900–6,200 ft), in the Roggeveld and Nuweveld districts. The west coast is dominated by the Namaqualand region, famous for its spring flowers. This area is hilly to mountainous and consists of granites and metamorphic rocks. The central areas are generally flat with interspersed salt pans.
Economy
As reported by the Northern Cape Provincial Government, unemployment still remains a big issue in the province. Unemployment was reported to be at 24.9% during Q4, 2013. Unemployment also declined from 119,000 in Q4, 2012 to 109,000 in Q4, 2013.
The Northern Cape is also home to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which is located 75 km North-West of Carnarvon.
The economy of the Northern Cape relies heavily on two sectors, mining and agriculture, which employ 57% (Tertiary Sector) of all employees in the province.
Most famous for the diamond mines around Kimberley, it also has mining activities for Manganese and iron ore.
The Northern Cape also has a substantial agricultural area around the Orange River, including most of South Africa's sultana vineyards.
Demographics
As of the 2022 census, the Northern Cape had a population of 1,355,629, an increase of 18.3% from the prior census in 2011. It is least populous and by a considerable margin the least densely populated of South Africa's nine provinces. The median age is 27, an increase of 2 years from 2011.
In the 2022 census, 50.1% of the population described themselves as Black African, 41.6% as Coloured, 7.3% as White and 0.8% as Indian/Asian. Coloureds form a higher proportion of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province except for the Western Cape.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Northern Cape (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Northern Cape: Key Facts
| Population | 1,355,946 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 372,889 km² |
| Capital | Kimberley |
| Head of government | Zamani Saul |
| Established | 27 April 1994 |
Facts from Wikidata Q132418 (CC0).
History of Northern Cape: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Northern Cape, from British Cape Colony in 1822 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Cape Colony | 1822–1884 CE |
| The British Empire | 1822–1931 CE |
| British Africa | 1885–1931 CE |
| South Africa | 1932–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Northern Cape
Northern Cape 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 Northern Cape
The Northern Cape, in the north-west corner of South Africa, is its largest and least populated province with only a population of 1,303,047 (2021). Distances between towns are enormous due to its sparse population. It is slightly larger than Germany, which has 65 times more people.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Northern Cape (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Northern Cape
10 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 | Kimberley | 165,264 | Northern Cape | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Upington | 71,373 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 3 | De Aar | 32,318 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 4 | Colesberg | 12,423 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 5 | Prieska | 11,236 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 6 | Springbok | 10,438 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 7 | Kuruman | 10,006 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 8 | Carnarvon | 5,785 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 9 | Poffader | 4,220 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
| 10 | Alexander Bay | 1,500 | Northern Cape | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Northern Cape
2 lakes 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 | Gariep Dam | 322 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Vanderkloof Dam | 166 km² | Reservoir |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Northern Cape
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richtersveld | 2007 | Cultural | (iv) (v) |
Northern Cape: Quick Answers
- Where is Northern Cape?
- Northern Cape is a first-level division of South Africa, in Africa. Its mapped cities centre on 29.4043° S, 21.7160° E.
- What is the largest city in Northern Cape?
- Kimberley is the largest city mapped in Northern Cape, with a metropolitan population of about 165,264.
- How many cities are in Northern Cape?
- YearMaps maps 10 cities and towns in Northern Cape, with a combined metropolitan population of about 324,563. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Northern Cape?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Northern Cape is Gariep Dam, at about 322 km².