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Article: Kimberley, Northern Cape

Kimberley, Northern Cape

Location and Geography

  • Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
  • It is located approximately 110km east of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers.
  • The city has an elevation of 1,184m (3,885ft).
  • Kimberley covers an area of 212.64km (82.10sqmi).
  • The population of Kimberley in 2011 was 225,160, with a density of 1,100/km (2,700/sqmi).

Historical Significance

  • Kimberley has historical significance due to its diamond mining past.
  • The city was sieged during the Second Anglo-Boer war.
  • Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato made their fortunes in Kimberley.
  • Rhodes established the De Beers diamond company in the early days of the mining town.
  • Kimberley was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and the second in the world to integrate electric street lights into its infrastructure.

Discovery of Diamonds

  • In 1866, Erasmus Jacobs found a small brilliant pebble on the banks of the Orange River.
  • The pebble was sold and proved to be a 21.25-carat (4.3g) diamond, known as the Eureka.
  • In 1869, the Star of South Africa, an 83.5-carat (16.7g) diamond, was found nearby.
  • The Star of South Africa was sold for £25,000 in the London market.
  • Esau Damoense, the cook for prospector Fleetwood Rawstornes Red Cap Party, found diamonds in 1871 on Colesberg Kopje, sparking the famous New Rush.

Ownership and Naming

  • The Cape Colony, Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Griqua leader Nicolaas Waterboer all laid claim to the diamond fields.
  • The Keate Award went in favor of Waterboer, who placed himself under British protection.
  • Griqualand West was proclaimed on 27 October 1871.
  • The place was initially named Vooruitzigt before being renamed New Rush.
  • Finally, it was named Kimberley, after Lord Kimberley, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

  • The racial makeup of Kimberley in 2011 was 63.1% Black African, 26.8% Coloured, 1.2% Indian/Asian, 8.0% White, and 0.9% Other.
  • The first languages spoken in Kimberley in 2011 were Afrikaans (43.2%), Tswana (35.8%), English (8.7%), Xhosa (6.0%), and Other (6.3%).
  • Kimberley operates on the South African Standard Time (UTC+2).
  • The postal code for street addresses in Kimberley is 8301, and the PO box code is 8300.
  • The area code for Kimberley is 053.

Kimberley, Northern Cape Data Sources

Reference URL
Glossary https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/kimberley-northern-cape
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley,_Northern_Cape
Wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q125905
Knowledge Graph https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/01tjpx

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