Polokwane
Polokwane (previously known as
Pietersburg) is a
city and
municipality in
Limpopo Province,
South Africa. It is also the capital of the province.
In the 1840s,
Voortrekkers under the leadership of
Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town 100 km to the south east. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes. They founded a new town in
1886 and named it
Pietersburg in honour of Voortrekker leader
Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The
British built a
concentration camp here during the
Boer War to house almost 4,000
Boer women and children. The town became a city on
23 April 1992 and on the
11 June 2003 changed its name to Polokwane
Despite its position on the tropic of Capricorn, the climate is superb because the city is on a plateau thirteen hundred meters above sea level. Average temperatures reaching a high of 27 °C in summer and 20°C in winter permit outdoor living all year round.
The excellent climate makes Polokwane an ideal place to live and also promotes sport and recreation. Summer rainfall varies between 400 - 600 mm per year.
The Polokwane Municipality's area accounts for 3% of Limpopo province's total surface area and about 10% of the Limpopo's population resides in the Munipal area. Given the fact that Polokwane serves as the Limpopo's economic hub, it has the highest population density in the Capricorn district. The majority of Polokwane's population is rural. This simply shows that the largest sector of the community within the municipal resides in rural tribal villages followed by urban settlements.
This area is seen as a place of "myths and legends". There is lots of game viewing opportunities, making Polokwane a popular
eco-tourism destination in Southern Africa. Limpopo is divided into four
tourism regions, each representing a microcosm of the area's varied and interesting cultures.
Other attractions include:
* The
Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, which depicts the traditional and modern-day lifestyle of this people.
* The
Polokwane Game Reserve, which has more than 21 species and offers scenic walks.
* The
Savannah Centre, a modern shopping centre.
Peter Mokaba Stadium will be used for matched for the
2010 World Cup*
Polokwane's web-site 
