Britstown | |
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Church in Britstown | |
Coordinates: 30°35′S23°30′E / 30.583°S 23.500°E Coordinates: 30°35′S23°30′E / 30.583°S 23.500°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Northern Cape |
District | Pixley ka Seme |
Municipality | Emthanjeni |
Area | |
• Total | 62.6 km2 (24.2 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 5,145 |
• Density | 82/km2 (210/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 26.7% |
• Coloured | 68.4% |
• Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
• White | 4.0% |
• Other | 0.5% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Afrikaans | 80.9% |
• Xhosa | 13.8% |
• Sotho | 1.4% |
• English | 1.4% |
• Other | 2.5% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 8782 |
PO box | 8782 |
Area code | 053 |
Britstown is a small farming town situated in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality, Emthanjeni Local Municipality. The town is named after Hans Brits who settled here after he accompanied David Livingstone on a venture into the interior.
Britstown lies in the heart of the Central Karoo and is located exactly halfway between Cape Town (via Three Sisters) and Johannesburg (via Kimberley) on the N12 national route, and thus is about 700 km from both cities. The N10 national route crosses the N12 500m outside the town. De Aar is the closest big town and lies 50 km East from Britstown on the N10.
In 1877 a community centre and a church was built on a section of Brits's farm. A private irrigation scheme was started by the Smartt Syndicate in 1885 and liquidated in 1954. The concern built two dams, planted lucerne and wheat. They grazed karakul sheep and Clydesdale horses. In 1961, floods destroyed the Smartt Irrigation Board Dam and it was rebuilt by the government in 1964.
The railway line from De Aar to Upington and Namibia passes through the town.
The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Ermelo and only about 240 kilometres (150 mi) from the Indian Ocean. It then flows westwards to its conjunction with the Orange River southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. It is 1,120 kilometres (700 mi) long, and forms the border between Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West Province on its north bank, and the Free State on its south.
Stellenbosch is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated about 50 kilometres east of Cape Town, along the banks of the Eerste River at the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountain. It is the second oldest settlement in the province, after Cape Town. The town became known as the City of Oaks or Eikestad in Afrikaans and Dutch due to the large number of oak trees that were planted by its founder, Simon van der Stel, to grace the streets and homesteads.
Brits is a large town situated in a fertile citrus, vegetable and grain-producing area that is irrigated by the waters of the Hartbeespoort Dam in North West Province of South Africa. It is close to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, which includes Pretoria, and it has the same dialling code as Pretoria. In addition to being a centre for agriculture, the town is home to several heavy industries. A factory of the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo produced cars for the domestic market and export to Asia from 1974 to 1985. The town also plays an important role in the South African mining industry: 94% of South Africa's platinum comes from the Rustenburg and Brits districts, which together produce more platinum than any other single area in the world. In addition, there is a large vanadium mine in the district.
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Warrenton is an agricultural town of approximately 18,000 people in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated 70 kilometres (40 mi) north of Kimberley on the Vaal River.
De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of around 42,000 inhabitants.
The N12 is a national route in South Africa which runs from George through Beaufort West, Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Johannesburg to eMalahleni.
The N4 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Skilpadshek on the Botswana border, past Rustenburg, Pretoria, eMalahleni and Mbombela, to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border. It forms the South African section of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which runs from Walvis Bay to Maputo, meaning that it links the east and west coasts of Southern Africa. Since the completion of the A2 through Botswana, the entire Corridor is now a world-class standard highway; it features at least one carriageway in each direction of high-speed traffic plus a paved shoulder for its entire length.
Carnarvon is a small town in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
The N9 is a national route in South Africa that connects George with the N1 at Colesberg, via Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg.
The N10 is a national route in South Africa connecting Gqeberha on the Eastern Cape coast with the Namibian border at Nakop, via Cradock, De Aar and Upington.
Kenhardt is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.
Strydenburg is a town in the east of the Northern Cape province in South Africa. Seventy-seven km north of Britstown, it was laid out by the Dutch Reformed Church on the farm Roodepan in 1892. It also lies on the N12, which separates the actual town from its township.
Marydale is a town in the Northern Cape province in western South Africa. Established in 1903 by the Dutch Reformed Church, Marydale was named after Mary Snyman, the wife of Mr GP Snyman, owner of the farm on which the town was laid out. The town is 76 km north-west of Prieska and lies near the N10 national road.
Boegoeberg Dam is a gravity type dam on the Orange River, near Prieska, Northern Cape, South Africa. Building was started in 1926 and completed by 1933. Boegoeberg is named for the small tree Croton gratissimus, also known as Bergboegoe. Its primary purpose is for irrigation and it has a low hazard potential.
Smartt Dam is an earth-fill type dam located on the Ongers River near Britstown, Northern Cape, South Africa. It was established in 1963 and serves mainly for irrigation purposes. The hazard potential of the dam has been ranked high (3).
The South African Railways Class 7E of 1978 is an electric locomotive.
Sir William Thomas Smartt was a South African politician, and founder and leader of the Unionist Party.
The R512 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Brits, North West with Randburg, Gauteng via Hartbeespoort.
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