De Aar

Last updated

De Aar
St. Pauls Church, De Aar.JPG
St. Pauls Church, De Aar
South Africa Northern Cape location map.svg
Red pog.svg
De Aar
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
De Aar
Africa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
De Aar
Coordinates: 30°39′00″S24°01′00″E / 30.65000°S 24.01667°E / -30.65000; 24.01667
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District Pixley ka Seme
Municipality Emthanjeni
Established1902
Area
[1]
  Total84.2 km2 (32.5 sq mi)
Elevation
1,286 m (4,219 ft)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total23,760
  Density280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Coloured 71.7%
   Black African 16.5%
   White 10.4%
   Indian/Asian 0.7%
  Other0.7%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Afrikaans 85.9%
   Xhosa 8.8%
   English 2.4%
  Other3.3%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7000
PO box
7000
Area code 053

De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of around 42,000 inhabitants. [1]

Contents

It is the second-most important railway junction in the country , situated on the line between Cape Town and Kimberley. The junction was of particular strategic importance to the British during the Second Boer War. De Aar is also a primary commercial distribution centre for a large area of the central Great Karoo. Major production activities of the area include wool production and livestock farming. The area is also popular for hunting, although the region is rather arid. De Aar is also affectionately known as "Die SES" deriving its nickname from the six farms that have surrounded De Aar since the 1900s.

History

De Aar was originally established on the Farm "De Aar." The name means "the artery", a reference to its underground water supply. The Cape Government Railways were founded in 1872, and the route that the government chose for the line to connect the Kimberley diamond fields to Cape Town on the coast, ran directly through De Aar. Because of its central location, the government also selected the location for a junction between this first railway line, and the other Cape railway networks further east, in 1881. [2] In 1899 two brothers who ran a trading store and hotel at the junction, Isaac and Wulf Friedlander, purchased the farm of De Aar. Following the Anglo Boer War, the Friedlander brothers surveyed the land for the establishment of a town. The municipality was created a year later and the town's first mayor, Dr Harry Baker, was elected in 1907.

The South African Defence Force's 97 Ammunition Depot is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) outside of De Aar. This is a large facility, and includes 186 magazines and an internal railway system. The South African Army's School of Ammunition is also located at the facility. [3]

Geography

Climate

De Aar has a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. [4] Diurnal air temperature variation is high throughout the year, resulting in cool summer nights and frosty winter nights. The average annual precipitation is 196 mm (8 in), with most rainfall occurring during summer and autumn.

Climate data for De Aar (1991–2020)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)32.2
(90.0)
31.4
(88.5)
29.0
(84.2)
24.1
(75.4)
20.4
(68.7)
16.8
(62.2)
17.0
(62.6)
19.5
(67.1)
23.7
(74.7)
26.8
(80.2)
29.0
(84.2)
31.4
(88.5)
25.0
(77.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)24.3
(75.7)
23.8
(74.8)
21.6
(70.9)
17.2
(63.0)
13.5
(56.3)
9.9
(49.8)
9.7
(49.5)
11.8
(53.2)
15.5
(59.9)
18.6
(65.5)
20.8
(69.4)
23.2
(73.8)
17.5
(63.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)16.4
(61.5)
16.3
(61.3)
14.2
(57.6)
10.2
(50.4)
6.6
(43.9)
3.0
(37.4)
2.5
(36.5)
4.1
(39.4)
7.3
(45.1)
10.5
(50.9)
12.6
(54.7)
15.1
(59.2)
9.9
(49.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)45.6
(1.80)
49.6
(1.95)
48.9
(1.93)
31.6
(1.24)
18.7
(0.74)
13.2
(0.52)
7.1
(0.28)
9.4
(0.37)
11.1
(0.44)
22.8
(0.90)
26.8
(1.06)
37.4
(1.47)
322.5
(12.70)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)5.55.25.64.12.71.91.31.21.22.73.24.238.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 338.6295.3298.0272.4268.7253.7272.5294.5293.7323.5331.6353.43,573.5
Source: NOAA [5]

Tourist attractions

There are ancient Khoisan rock engravings on the Volksrust and Brandfontein farms. Additionally, there is a "Garden of Remembrance", which honours the British troops killed in the Anglo-Boer War. The town is also home to a major military ammunition dump. The DoD Ammunition Sub Depot De Aar is located about 2 km west of the town. De Aar is famous amongst Paragliding & Hang-Gliding pilots worldwide as it holds 2 World records & some countries' National Distance records. De Aar was also the host to the XC World Series in 2008 and 2009. During the summer months De Aar is home for several thousand Kestrels. Every evening the birds fill the sky above town and land in the big trees near the hospital just as the sun sets to spend the night.

Famous people

Coats of arms

Municipal (1)

By 1931, the De Aar municipal council had adopted a seal-like emblem depicting a railway locomotive and the motto Progressus semper surrounded by a circle inscribed "Munisipaliteit – Municipality – De Aar". [6]

Municipal (2)

By 1952, the municipality had assumed a coat of arms depicting a railway locomotive above a ram's head. The motto was on a riband below the shield. [7]

Municipal (3)

This design was improved a few years later, and the new version was registered with the Cape Provincial Administration in November 1955. [8] The arms were now : Or, a merino ram's head caboshed proper, a base barry wavy of four Azure and Argent; on a chief Argent a locomotive Sable (i.e. a golden shield displaying, from top to bottom, a black locomotive on a silver background, a ram's head on a golden background, and four wavy stripes alternately blue and silver).

Municipal (4)

An entirely new coat of arms was registered at the Bureau of Heraldry in March 1986. [9] The arms were : Azure, a pale Argent; on a Chief Gules, a ram's head caboshed Argent, between two wheels Or (i.e. a blue shield with a silver stripe down the middle and, across the top, a red stripe displaying a ram's head between two golden wheels). The crest was an heraldic fountain above a water bouget, and the motto was Semper progressus.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley, Northern Cape</span> Capital of the Northern Cape, South Africa

Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is located approximately 110 km east of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The city has considerable historical significance due to its diamond mining past and the siege during the Second Anglo-Boer war. British businessmen Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato made their fortunes in Kimberley, and Rhodes established the De Beers diamond company in the early days of the mining town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kroonstad</span> Town in Free State, South Africa

Kroonstad, which consist of suburbs as follows: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, KoeKoeVillage, Kroonheuwel, Maokeng, Morewag, Noordhoek, Ou Dorp, Panorama, Phomalong, Presidensia, PrisonArea, Seisoville, Suidrand, Tuinhof, Uitsig, Vooruitsig, WestPark and Wilgenhof. Kroonstad is the fourth largest town in the Free State and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. It is the second-largest commercial and urban centre in the Northern Free State, and an important railway junction on the main line from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graaff-Reinet</span> Town in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province and the fifth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was the centre of a short-lived republic in the late 18th century. The town was a starting point for Great Trek groups led by Gerrit Maritz and Piet Retief and furnished large numbers of the Voortrekkers in 1835–1842.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ermelo, South Africa</span> Place in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Ermelo is the educational, industrial and commercial town of the 7,750 km2 Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga province, Republic of South Africa. It is both a mixed agriculture and mining region. It is located 210 km east of Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanover, South Africa</span> Town in Northern Cape, South Africa

Hanover is a small town in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Named after Hanover in Germany, the town was established in 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clanwilliam, South Africa</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Clanwilliam is a town in the Olifants River valley in the Western Cape, South Africa, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Cape Town. It is located in, and the seat of, the Cederberg Local Municipality. As of 2011 Clanwilliam had a population of 7,674.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaufort West</span> Town in Western Cape, South Africa

Beaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 34,085 inhabitants in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceres, South Africa</span> Town in Western Cape, South Africa

Ceres is the administrative centre and largest town of the Witzenberg Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Ceres serves as a regional centre for the surrounding towns of Wolseley, Tulbagh, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred Hamlet. It is situated in the Warmbokkeveld Valley about 170 km north-east of Cape Town. Ceres is located at the north-eastern entrance to Michell's Pass and was the old route north between Cape Town and Johannesburg, which was later replaced by the N1 highway, which traverses the Breede River Valley to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bredasdorp</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) south-east of Cape Town and 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deelfontein</span> Place in Northern Cape, South Africa

Deelfontein is a village in the Great Karoo, Northern Cape, region of South Africa on the route of the Pretoria to Cape Town railway. It primarily developed to service the railway due to its good water supply for steam locomotives, and is currently the location of a passing loop on the single-track line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noupoort</span> Place in Northern Cape, South Africa

Noupoort is a small town in the eastern Karoo region of South Africa.

Goodwood is a suburb of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is situated in the Tygerberg region of the City of Cape Town. It is 10 kilometres from Cape Town and accessible from the N1, N7 and N2 highways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touws River (town)</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Touws River is a small railway town of 8,126 people in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is located on the river of the same name, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north-east of Cape Town. The Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project is located just outside of the town and supplies 50 MW to the national electrical grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 4E</span> Type of electric locomotive

The South African Railways Class 4E of 1952 was an electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 33-000</span> Model of 65 South African diesel-electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 33-000 of 1965 was a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 5A 4-6-2</span> 1903 design of steam locomotive

The South African Railways Class 5A 4-6-2 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 5B 4-6-2</span> 1904 design of steam locomotive

The South African Railways Class 5B 4-6-2 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 5 4-6-2</span> 1912 design of steam locomotive

The South African Railways Class 5 4-6-2 of 1912 was a steam locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class Experimental 1 4-6-2</span> 1907 design of steam locomotive

The South African Railways Class Experimental 1 4-6-2 of 1907 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class DS1</span> Class of 1 South African 0-6-0de locomotive

The South African Railways Class DS1 of 1939 was a diesel-electric locomotive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Main Place De Aar from Census 2011.
  2. Burman, Jose (1984). Early Railways at the Cape. Cape Town. Human & Rousseau, p. 62. ISBN   0-7981-1760-5
  3. "Safety concerns about De Aar ammunition depot". defence Web. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  4. "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data. 23 October 2023.
  5. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — De Aar". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. This device was depicted on a cigarette card issued in 1931.
  7. The arms were depicted on a medallion issued in 1952.
  8. Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette 2783 (11 November 1955).
  9. http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za%5B%5D