Country
Total Area
Population
Time Zone
Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, is a historic and vibrant city known for iconic landmarks like the Apartheid Museum and the Johannesburg Zoo. With a diverse population of over 5 million people speaking eleven official languages, it is a significant global business hub and a blend of traditional South African culture and modern innovation.
Johannesburg is the most populous city and the commercial capital of South Africa. It was founded in 1886, following the discovery of gold, and was initially part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner republic that later became one of the four provinces of South Africa.
Today, the city is the capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa.
Located in north-central South Africa, Johannesburg is the country's largest and fastest-growing city and one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world.
Johannesburg is situated on the highveld plateau, and has a subtropical highland climate.
According to the 2011 South African National Census, the population of Johannesburg is 4,434,827 people, making it the most populous city in South Africa
South Africa possesses a federal system of government, with authority divided between national, provincial, and local levels of government.
Greater Johannesburg has a multilevel system of popularly elected local government that has been in place since November 1955. The local authority rests with the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, which includes representatives from all across the metropolitan area to include the surrounding black townships in the political process.
At the highest level, there is the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Board, a metropolitan council that oversees the distribution of municipal resources. Next there are four local councils that handle city services within their communities. The local councils are divided into wards, each of which has its own elected representative. In addition to voting for individual representatives from their wards, residents also vote for the party of their choice in elections for both the local and municipal councils.
Johannesburg is also the legislative capital of Gauteng Province formerly called the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vaal triangle.
Johannesburg is South Africa's major commercial, financial, and industrial center, producing 16% of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng's economic activity.
It is home to the South African stock exchange, the leading banks, the country's mining companies, the Chamber of Mines, and the government regulatory agency in charge of mining
Mining was historically the foundation of the Witwatersrand's economy, but its importance has gradually declined. While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most mining companies still have their headquarters in Johannesburg.
Nowadays, service and manufacturing industries have become more significant to the city's economy. Johannesburg is a major manufacturing center whose factories produce a wide range of goods from steel to textiles. Other industries growing importance include banking, IT, real estate, transport, broadcast, private health care and transport. South Africa's major insurance, retail, engineering, and construction companies are also located in the city.
Johannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which has led to the development of more attractions for tourists.
The city is also home to some 10,000 to 12,000 street traders whose operations in the central business district bring in an annual combined revenue of some 500 million rand.
Related Content: kinshasa
South Africa's national Local Economy Development is urging local governments to foster conditions that stimulate and enable the general environment in which business is done
The country’s multifaceted culture and history presents many challenges for growing businesses, although recent figures suggest that a period of consolidation has created a modern market .
The World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) rank South Africa in 39th place in the world for ease of doing business, although there are several elements of expanding into the country that require specialist attention.
The Johannesburg area has a well-developed highway system that carries thousands of commuters between the city and its suburbs every day. However the city is quite young and its public transportation lacks a convenient public transportation system. The city has invested a large percentage of its budget toward an effective integrated public transportation system.
The Metrorail Gauteng commuter rail system connects central Johannesburg to Soweto, Pretoria, and most of the satellite towns along the Witwatersrand. However, it covers only the older areas in the city's south. The northern areas, including the business districts of Sandton, Midrand, Randburg, and Rosebank, are served by the rapid rail link Gautrain.
Airports
Johannesburg is served principally by OR Tambo International Airport for both domestic and international flights to cities in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere. This airport is located around 20 kilometres east of the city. International air traffic to Johannesburg has increased greatly since the lifting of foreign embargoes against South Africa in early 1990s, and major renovations of the airport are underway.
Another airport option is Lanseria Airport, located to the north-west of the city and closer to the business hub of Sandton. This hub is used for commercial flights to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Botswana, and Sun City.
The emergence of fintech startups across Africa working to boost financial inclusion over the past half decade has had some obvious effects. The startup sector has become the best funded on the continent and that has fueled the launch of more fintech startups.
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos all rank among the top 100 cities for fintech ecosystems in Africa.
Overall, fintech startups in Africa are not so much disrupting traditional financial services as building up a historically underdeveloped banking and financial industry. By creating a raft of tech-based products and solutions like mobile money or online payment processing, these startups are covering large gaps that exist in the local financial service industry of the country.
Johannesburg is also the host to the annual Fakugesi Festival, a 10-day festival bringing together innovators at the crossroads of arts, culture, and technology
Some of the most interesting startups in Johannesburg's panorama are TymeBank, an internet first bank, Naked, that offers short-term insurance products to individuals, I-pay, a payment service provider, or VALR, a cryptocurrency trading platfo
Experience a city within a city! A Tuk-Tuk tour is a great way to spend a day out and about in Soweto. Our half-day private Soweto tour with optional Tuk Tuk is an opportunity to experience the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city and learn more about events that shaped South Africa’s past. Born and raised in Soweto, your tour guide takes you to historic sites and cultural hotspots to showcase the city’s rich history and its modern-day culture. From the dusty streets of Motsoaledi informal settlement to the vibrant cultural hub of Vilakazi Street and iconic heritage sites that commemorate the city’s turbulent past and the peoples struggle for freedom and equality; you’re encourage to interact with the people of Soweto and not just spectate.
This experience is done through a combination of skateboarding and walking i.e. we skate where we can skate and walk where we need to walk! Anyone who is looking to try something new OR to experience Johannesburg from the ground in a fun and informative way should definitely book this experience: you don't need any skateboarding experience to join, we start with a Skate Lesson for Beginners! Johannesburg and South Africa both have very complicated histories so this is also a great way to hear about these from our perspective! Skateboarding is fun and Joburg is cool...come have a fun and engaging time with us in the City! TIPS! Some common slang you may here along the way... Shap Shap - Used to say "Hello" OR "Goodbye" or to indicate that something is good i.e. the food/movie/experience was "Shap Shap"! Ekse, Hola - Also used as common greetings i.e. "Hello"! Sawubona (singular)/Sanibonani (group) - "Hello" in Zulu...one of the most spoken native languages in the City!
Fun day out exploring the history, architecture, the culture and museums of the vibrant City of Gold (Johannesburg). This tour will give you an overall history about South Africa’s history. We will visit various attractions in both Johannesburg and Soweto. We can always customize the tour to meet your expectations.
Your friendly guide will pick you up directly from your hotel and transport you to the Elephant Sanctuary. As you look forward to seeing these majestic creatures, there is a tangible sense of anticipation in the air. You are welcomed by the sound of trumpeting elephants as you enter the sanctuary. Your tour guide takes you to an expansive area where numerous elephants are free to roam. You watch in astonishment as they interact with one another, pushing and swinging their trunks. You meet the elephant herd at the sanctuary and get to know each one's distinct character and background. You are touched by the staff's devotion to, love for, and efforts on behalf of these gentle giants. You go on a guided tour of the sanctuary, where you discover more about the origins of elephants in Africa and the difficulties they encounter in the wild. Your tour guide shares their love for these creatures, and you leave feeling motivated to do your part to contribute to their preservation.
