Ermelo (South Africa)
| Ermelo | |||
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| Coordinates | 26 ° 31 ′ S , 29 ° 59 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| Mpumalanga | |||
| District | Gert Sibande | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-MP | ||
| local community | Msukaligwa | ||
| height | 1700 m | ||
| Residents | 83,865 (2011) | ||
| founding | 1871 | ||
 Railway station in Ermelo
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Ermelo is a town in the Msukaligwa municipality , Gert Sibande district , Mpumalanga province in South Africa . It is located on the upper reaches of the Vaal at the intersection of the national roads N2 , N11 and N17 . In 2011 Ermelo had 83,865 inhabitants.
description
Near the town were petroglyphs of San found and stone cottages dating from the 14th century. They were built by the Leghoya, a Batswana tribe .
The city of European immigrants developed around a church built in 1871 by Reverent Frans Lion Cachet. He named the place after his friend's hometown, the city of Ermelo in the Netherlands. Because of the numerous small lakes and rivers in the region, the place was used as a resting place for wagons between Lydenburg and Natal even before it was officially founded . The area was known for its horse and ranchers, and the first agricultural exhibition was held in 1889.
Ermelo was completely destroyed during the Second Boer War and rebuilt in the same place.
economy
Today Ermelo is a center for beef and sheep breeding as well as the cultivation of sunflowers, cereals and potatoes. A portion of the Mpumalanga coal deposits are in the vicinity of the city . On the southern edge of Ermelo, Transnet Freight Rail operates a large marshalling yard on the Richards Bay Coal Line .
sons and daughters of the town
- Lucky Dube (1964–2007), reggae singer, guitarist and songwriter
- Jennifer Ferguson (* around 1960), singer-songwriter, pianist and peace activist
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 16, 2013
- ↑ http://www.wheretostay.co.za/information/mp/gw/ermelo