Virginia (South Africa)
| Virginia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 28 ° 6 '25 " S , 26 ° 51' 44" E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| free State | |||
| District | Lejweleputswa | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-FS | ||
| local community | Matjhabeng | ||
| height | 1316 m | ||
| surface | 74.1 km² | ||
| Residents | 21,846 (2011) | ||
| density | 294.8 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1890 | ||
Virginia is a city in the South African Free State province . It is located in the Matjhabeng municipality in the Lejweleputswa district .
geography
In 2011, Virginia had 21,846 residents; the neighboring township of Meloding had 44,362 inhabitants. The city lies on both banks of the Sand , a tributary of the Vet , which in turn flows into the Vaal . Meloding adjoins the city to the southeast. The city is located in the mostly flat Highveld . The much larger city of Welkom is located around 20 kilometers northwest, Bloemfontein around 140 kilometers southwest. It is about 240 kilometers to Johannesburg in the northeast.
history
In 1890, two railroad engineers from the US state of Virginia came to the area and chiseled the name of their home state in a stone near the Merriespruit farm . When a branch line finally led there, the name was chosen as the place name. Gold was discovered there in 1955 . As a result, several settlements emerged on the banks of the Sand River. In 1988 the river burst its banks and flooded a large part of the city. In 1994, the Merriespruit Tailings Dam near Virginia, a tailings dam on a mud pond, broke . 17 people died.
Economy and Transport
Virginia is located in the center of one of the most important gold producing areas in South Africa. The most important branch of the economy is gold mining and processing. In rural Virginia, the main crops and livestock are corn.
The national road N1 , which connects Johannesburg and Cape Town , passes around 20 kilometers east of Virginia . Virginia is a little west of the Johannesburg to Bloemfontein railway line. Virginia station is served three times a week in each direction on the Johannesburg – Port Elizabeth route. But it is mainly used for freight transport. Harmony Airport ( ICAO code: FAHA) is located near Virginia and is not served by scheduled aircraft.
Web links
- Virginia and vicinity tourism website ( November 3, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive ) (English; archive version)
- Geology and gold mining in Virginia and around (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Virginia , accessed July 8, 2017
- ↑ Meloding , accessed July 8, 2017
- ↑ Information on the disaster ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English)