Provinces of South Africa
South Africa is administratively divided into nine provinces . In 1994 the provincial structure that had been created since the formation of the South African Union in 1910 was abandoned. Likewise, the territorial units of the Homelands , which were based on a racially motivated population and economic policy, dissolved through reintegration with effect from April 27, 1994.
In 1995 there were again changes to the provincial names, which affected the previous names Pretoria / Witwatersrand / Vereeniging (PWV area), Orange Free State and Northern Transvaal . The former regions of Pretoria , Witwatersrand and Vaal (also abbreviated PWV) became Gauteng , which in Sotho is called "Place of Gold". From Orange Free State was shortened Free State and Northern Transvaal initially was named Northern Province; In 2002 the name was changed to Limpopo Province .
Since the country's first democratic parliamentary election in 1994, there has been a complete territorial and administrative reorganization of the state into nine provinces. Their representative bodies are the Provincial Legislatures . The following table gives an overview (the situation in South Africa can be identified by the numbering):
province | English name | Capital | Area in km² |
map | Population (2011) |
Density (population / km²) |
prime minister | Political party |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western cape | Western Cape | Cape Town | 129,462 | 5,822,734 | 45 | Alan Winds | THERE | |
North Cape | Northern Cape | Kimberley | 372,889 | 1,145,861 | 3 | Zamani Saul | ANC | |
Eastern Cape | Eastern Cape | Bhisho | 168,966 | 6,562,053 | 39 | Oscar Mabuyane | ANC | |
KwaZulu-Natal | KwaZulu-Natal | Pietermaritzburg | 94,361 | 10,267,300 | 109 | Sihle Zikalala | ANC | |
free State | Free State | Bloemfontein | 129,825 | 2,745,590 | 21st | Sisi Ntombela | ANC | |
northwest | North West | Mahikeng | 104,882 | 3,509,953 | 33 | Job Mokgoro | ANC | |
Gauteng | Gauteng | Johannesburg | 18,178 | 12,272,263 | 675 | David Makhura | ANC | |
Mpumalanga | Mpumalanga | Mbombela | 76,495 | 4,039,939 | 53 | Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane | ANC | |
Limpopo | Limpopo | Polokwane | 125,755 | 5,404,868 | 43 | Stanley Mathabatha | ANC |
Legend: 1) Western Cape, 2) North Cape, 3) Eastern Cape, 4) KwaZulu-Natal, 5) Free State, 6) Northwest, 7) Gauteng, 8) Mpumalanga, 9) Limpopo
See also
- Historic provinces of South Africa
- List of districts and metropolitan parishes in South Africa
- List of municipalities in South Africa
- Coat of arms of the South African provinces
- List of provinces of South Africa according to the human development index
Individual evidence
- ^ South African History Online : The Homelands . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
- ^ South African History Online: Three South African provinces are renamed . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
- ^ South African History Online: Limpopo . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
- ↑ a b 2011 census , accessed on January 22, 2016