The North West Province of South Africa is bounded on the north by Botswana, on the south by the Free State and the Northern Cape, and on the north-east and east by Limpopo Province and Gauteng. Covering 118 797 sq km (45 869 sq miles), the province was created in 1994 by the merger of Bophuthatswana, one of the former homelands, and the western part of the Transvaal.
Landscape and climate
Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland. The Magaliesberg mountain range in the north-east extends about 130 km from Pretoria to Rustenburg, and the Vaal River flows along the southern border. Temperatures range from 17° to 31°C in summer and from 3° to 21°C in winter. Annual rainfall totals about 360 mm, almost all of it falling between October and April.
People
The majority of the province’s residents are Tswana people who speak Setswana. Smaller groups include Afrikaans, Sotho and Xhosa speakers, with English spoken primarily as a second language. Around 65% of people in the province live in rural areas.
Towns and landmarks
Mahikeng, formerly Mafikeng, serves as the provincial capital. Other significant towns include Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg and Sun City.
Important historical sites include Mahikeng, the traditional capital of the Barolong people, where a British garrison was besieged by Afrikaners during the South African War (1899–1902); Lotlamoreng Cultural Village near Mahikeng, which re-creates a traditional African village; and Boekenhoutfontein, the farm of Paul Kruger. The province has several national parks — the largest, Pilanesberg, sits in the crater of an extinct volcano.
Economy
The mainstay of the economy is mining, which generates more than half of the province’s gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce. The chief minerals are gold, mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp; uranium at Klerksdorp; platinum at Rustenburg and Brits; and diamonds at Lichtenburg, Christiana and Bloemhof. The northern and western parts have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches, while the eastern and southern parts grow maize, sunflowers, tobacco, cotton and citrus. The entertainment and casino complex at Sun City and the Lost City also contributes to the provincial economy.