Dubbed
the “Place of Gold”, Gauteng is the economic
powerhouse of the Southern African region and home to one
of Africa’s greatest cities, Johannesburg.
Johannesburg City
Gold and the history of Johannesburg are intertwined. The discovery of
gold in the late 1890s led to a gold rush by prospectors from all over
the world to the area now known as Johannesburg in the province of Gauteng.
Today, Johannesburg generates 16% of South Africa's GDP and employs 12%
of the national workforce. It has a financial, municipal, roads and telecommunications
infrastructure that matches leading first world cities, yet the cost
of living is far lower. Joburg is a diverse and cosmopolitan city offering
fascinating museums and art galleries, nature reserves and hiking trails,
craft markets, nightclubs, city tours and fine restaurants.
The Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind, a listed World Heritage Site in the provinces
of Gauteng and the North West in South Africa, is the world's richest
hominid site. The site has has produced the remains of hominids (i.e.
human and pre-human) from over 2 to 3,3 million years ago, the early
stone-age, the middle stone age, the later stone age, the early and late
iron age and up to the present day. They have produced thousands of fossils
and it is estimated that there may be up to 25 more sites in the area
worth excavating. Meet the famous "Mrs Bless" and the amazing "Little
Foot", the 3.3m-year-old skeleton that could be the missing link
between hominids (human beings) and apes.