Gauteng: Pretoria and Johannesburg

The energy of the Highveld, with its intense summers broken only by intermittent thunder storms, is echoed in the sheer buzz of the place. In Johannesburg people walk and talk fast, they drive at high speed too, and the ever increasing skyline - as glass and chrome structures rise like mushrooms seemingly overnight - reflects the rapid development that has taken place in the city in the last 10 years.

Known as the Jacaranda City or "Jakarandastad" in Afrikaans, for all the purple blossom-bedecked trees which line its thoroughfares, Pretoria is a lovely, quiet capital. It has a long, involved and fascinating history which dates back to the days of the Voortrekkers.

Here you will find many significant old buildings and some fascinating museums. The Transvaal Museum has wonderful natural history displays and is the home of Mrs Ples, the australopithecine fossil found at Sterkfontein in the Cradle of Humankind. Also worth visiting are the Cultural History Museum and the Smuts Museum, just outside town.

With a total area of 16 548 square kilometres, Gauteng is slightly smaller than the US state of New Jersey. While it's the country's smallest province, it has the second-largest population after KwaZulu-Natal, and by far the highest population density - 576 people per square kilometre. The Northern Cape, by comparison, has an average of three people per square kilometre!

A summer-rainfall area, Gauteng has hot summers and cold winters with frost. Hail is common during summer thunderstorms.

The people of Gauteng have the highest per capita income level in the country. The province blends cultures, colours and first and third-world traditions in a spirited mix, flavoured by a number of foreign influences. The world's languages can be heard on the streets and in offices, from English to Mandarin, Swahili, French, German and more.

The province has the most important educational and health centres in the country. Pretoria boasts the largest residential university in South Africa, the University of Pretoria, and what is believed to be the largest correspondence university in the world, the University of South Africa (Unisa).

Gauteng Golf Holidays
Not only does Gauteng boast a particularly suitable climate for golfing, it also offers the golfing enthusiast a wide selection of world class golf courses which will challenge the amateur and professional alike. Johannesburg boasts some particularly fine golf courses, a number of which have hosted European PGA Tours and South African Sunshine Tour events. Within one hours drive of the Sandton area you will find 36 of the Top 100 golf courses in South Africa - 36 excellent reasons for the golfer to visit our Gauteng Golf Courses.

Featured Upmarket Gauteng Hotel: The Michelangelo Hotel, Sandton    Over the heart of Sandton Square towers the majestic Michelangelo - the perfect vantage from which to observe the entertainment and corporate capital of Africa. Immerse yourself in the culture and relentless pace of Sandton. Then return to convalesce in the serenity of Renaissance-style elegance at Michelangelo Hotel. The Michelangelo provides the busy corporate executive with all the services and facilities...

Featured Gauteng golf course: Royal Johannesburg & Kensington G.C The World Atlas of Golf, which lists the great courses and how they are played, features just two South African clubs on its hallowed pages. One is Durban Country Club and the other is Royal Johannesburg, which was established more than 100 years ago. It was initially known only as Johannesburg Golf Club. The club was granted the 'Royal' prefix by King George V in 1931...