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South Africa: Mpumalanga

Overview

Mpumalanga (pronounced ‘umpumulangu’) means ‘the land of the rising sun’ in Siswati and Zulu, and the province extends east of Gauteng to the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland. It covers 79,490km2 (30,683mi2), which is 6.5 per cent of the country, and has a similar percentage of South Africa’s population. The province is dominated by the Kruger National Park, which it shares with Limpopo (Northern Province). The Kruger, which occupies most of the eastern area of Mpumalanga, bordering Mozambique, and in total covers an area around the size of Wales or the state of Massachusetts, is one of Africa’s best game parks. It’s arguably the jewel in the crown of South Africa’s tourist industry, with its abundant game: around 150 species of mammals and over 500 of birds. The former include buffalo, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, giraffe, hippo, hyena, impala, leopard, lion, black and white rhino, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and numerous types of antelope. In addition, there are many species of insect, amphibian and reptile.

The province has other interesting geographical features, including an impressive mountain area called the Escarpment (part of the Drakensberg range), which lies to the west of Kruger and offers terrific views, particularly at Blyde River Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world) – justifiably regarded as one of the world’s best vistas and a favourite in South African tourist brochures. (The Escarpment is around a four-hour drive east of Johannesburg Airport and a favourite destination for city dwellers wanting to escape the stress of urban life.)

The middle of the province, which skirts the N4 road, is an uninspiring industrial region, surrounding the capital city Nelspruit.

Nelspruit

Nelspruit (population 94,000), which is in the centre of the eastern border area of Mpumalanga, is a traditional Afrikaner town but rapidly becoming more relaxed and racially mixed. It attracts a lot of visitors, both as a business centre and as a southern entry point to the Kruger park. It also boasts the second-largest botanical gardens in South Africa.

Other Towns

Other important towns in the province include Barberton, a gold-mining town; Ermelo, which produces wool; Piet-Retief, known for tropical fruit and sugar; Standerton, which has a large dairy industry; and Witbank, a centre of local coal-mining. Sabie, the centre of the country’s agro-forestry industry, lies in the middle of South Africa’s largest artificial forest: its rows of pines look odd and dull when set against the surrounding areas of indigenous woodland. North of Sabie is Pilgrim’s Rest, a restored gold mining settlement and a reminder of the area’s original main industry.

Population

Mpumalanga has a population of around 2.8 million (7 per cent of the country’s total).

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Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Economy

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