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Johannesburg

City in South AfricaJohannesburg stands on the Highveld, a high plateau in eastern South Africa, at about 1,750 m above sea level. It is the capital of Gauteng province and is built on the long ridge of the Witwatersrand.

What it's known for

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city and its economic capital, home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It was founded in 1886 after gold was discovered, and it is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the country's highest court.

Fun facts

  1. Its nickname eGoli means 'place of gold', and locals also call it Jozi or Joburg.
  2. The city is not built on a river or a harbour, but its ridge, the Witwatersrand ('ridge of white waters'), is the watershed between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers.
  3. Soweto, part of Johannesburg, was home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and was the centre of the 1976 Soweto Uprising.

Finding it on the globe

Aim inland at the north-east of South Africa, on the high plateau far from any coast: Johannesburg is just south of Pretoria, in the province of Gauteng.

Easy to mix up

Many players tap Johannesburg for South Africa's capital, but it is not one of the country's three capitals. The game uses Pretoria, about 56 km to the north-northeast.

Sources: Wikipedia: Johannesburg, Wikipedia: Pretoria, Wikipedia: Capital of South Africa