Home / Africa / South Africa / Polokwane (Pietersburg): the capital of Limpopo

Polokwane (Pietersburg): the capital of Limpopo

This post is also available in: Deutsch Français

Capital of the Limpopo province, Polokwane is a South African city located on a plateau at 1,310 meters high. The city has a population of around 130,000, but its metropolitan area is home to over five hundred thousand inhabitants. The city is located just 60 km from the Tropic of Capricorn on a plateau formed by large grassy meadows often alternating with rough granite hills called “‘koppies”.

Known in the past with the name of Pietersburg, it was founded by the Boers (the Boers are the descendants of the Dutch who arrived in South Africa between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) in 1886. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the city was the site of an English concentration camp. Here, in fact, Boer women and children captured by English troops were imprisoned. It appears that nearly 4,000 Boer women and children were imprisoned in the prison camp during the Anglo-Boer War.

MUSEUMS, CASINOS AND NATURAL ATTRACTIONS

The main sectors of the city’s economy are agriculture, mining and manufacturing. The city is served by Polokwane International Airport (Polokwane International Airport) which has air connections to Johannesburg.

In the city there are some interesting museums. The Art Museum in the city center houses an extensive art collection of South African artists. Another famous museum is that of the Irish House. The museum is housed in a historic Victorian architectural building, and presents exhibits on the region’s cultural history. Among the attractions of the city there is also gambling due to the presence of some casinos.

Polokwane is above all the gateway to numerous natural attractions. Among these is the opportunity to admire wildlife in areas such as the Polokwane Game Reserve, the Polokwane Bird and Reptile Park, or the Moletzie Bird Sanctuary. Finally, the city is an important destination for hunting enthusiasts in South Africa thanks to its proximity to numerous hunting reserves.

The climate of Polokwane (Pietersburg).

This post is also available in: Deutsch Français

x

Check Also

The climate of Polokwane: when to go to Polokwane

This post is also available in: Deutsch FrançaisPolokwane has a semi-arid tropical ...