South Africa Cities

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South Africa Cities by Population

218 cities shown of 218 total South Africa cities that are over 1,000 in population...

1. Cape Town 3,433,441
2. Durban 3,120,282
3. Johannesburg 2,026,469
4. Soweto 1,695,047
5. Pretoria 1,619,438
6. Port Elizabeth 967,677
7. Pietermaritzburg 750,845
8. Benoni 605,344
9. Tembisa 511,655
10. East London 478,676
11. Vereeniging 474,681
12. Bloemfontein 463,064
13. Boksburg 445,168
14. Welkom 431,944
15. Newcastle 404,838
16. Krugersdorp 378,821
17. Botshabelo 309,714
18. Brakpan 305,692
19. Witbank 262,491
20. Richards Bay 252,968
21. Vanderbijlpark 246,754
22. Centurion 233,386
23. Uitenhage 228,912
24. Roodepoort 225,000
25. Noorder-Paarl 187,865
26. Springs 186,394
27. Carletonville 182,304
28. Klerksdorp 178,921
29. George 174,582
30. Midrand 173,009
31. Westonaria 156,831
32. Middelburg 154,706
33. Vryheid 150,012
34. Orkney 145,801
35. Kimberley 142,089
36. eMbalenhle 141,741
37. Nigel 140,644
38. Mpumalanga 140,121
39. Bhisho 137,287
40. Randfontein 133,654
41. Worcester 127,597
42. Rustenburg 124,064
43. Polokwane 123,749
44. Potchefstroom 123,669
45. Virginia 122,502
46. Brits 122,497
47. Nelspruit 110,159
48. Phalaborwa 109,468
49. Queenstown 105,309
50. Kroonstad 103,992
51. Bethal 101,919
52. Mokopane 101,090
53. Mabopane 97,417
54. Kutloanong 95,008
55. Stellenbosch 94,263
56. Stilfontein 93,110
57. Delmas 92,046
58. Grahamstown 91,548
59. Warmbaths 90,210
60. Louis Trichardt 86,854
61. Dundee 84,413
62. Piet Retief 84,349
63. Phuthaditjhaba 84,258
64. Bethlehem 83,654
65. Umtata 78,663
66. Sasolburg 77,016
67. Mmabatho 76,754
68. Oudtshoorn 76,708
69. Standerton 74,021
70. Bothaville 71,934
71. Upington 71,373
72. Parys 71,319
73. Schweizer-Reineke 70,214

74. Ga-Rankuwa 68,767
75. Saldanha 68,284
76. Barberton 67,927
77. Lichtenburg 65,863
78. Heidelberg 64,199
79. Knysna 63,106
80. Graaff-Reinet 62,896
81. Fochville 62,416
82. Atlantis 60,266
83. Stanger 59,899
84. Fort Beaufort 58,419
85. Heilbron 55,196
86. Viljoenskroon 54,955
87. Port Shepstone 52,793
88. Vryburg 49,588
89. Wolmaransstad 49,366
90. eSikhawini 49,265
91. Balfour 46,008
92. Mondlo 44,922
93. Beaufort West 44,737
94. Aliwal North 44,436
95. Thohoyandou 44,046
96. Volksrust 43,378
97. Wesselsbron 42,552
98. Ceres 41,596
99. Ermelo 41,124
100. Senekal 39,584
101. Thaba Nchu 38,616
102. Frankfort 38,006
103. Ekangala 37,650
104. Giyani 37,024
105. Stutterheim 35,510
106. Harrismith 35,108
107. Malmesbury 34,991
108. Theunissen 34,718
109. Margate 34,407
110. Butterworth 34,353
111. Lebowakgomo 33,308
112. Cradock 32,898
113. Richmond 32,445
114. De Aar 32,318
115. Allanridge 31,700
116. Nkowakowa 30,138
117. Grabouw 29,885
118. Howick 28,725
119. Driefontein 28,127
120. Empangeni 28,093
121. Bronkhorstspruit 27,343
122. Siyabuswa 26,236
123. Mpophomeni 26,229
124. Cullinan 25,490
125. Kokstad 25,373
126. Hermanus 25,153
127. Lady Frere 25,041
128. Duiwelskloof 24,572
129. Scottburgh 23,949
130. Hennenman 22,847
131. Pampierstad 21,800
132. Lydenburg 21,695
133. Ulundi 20,753
134. Nylstroom 20,527
135. Komatipoort 20,508
136. Secunda 20,418
137. Umkomaas 20,410
138. Messina 20,191
139. Queensdale 20,009
140. Plettenberg Bay 19,445
141. Kruisfontein 18,991
142. Middelburg 18,164
143. Port Alfred 17,959
144. Warrenton 17,946
145. Zeerust 17,708
146. Christiana 17,523

147. Ladybrand 17,228
148. Ballitoville 17,218
149. Bloemhof 17,122
150. Tzaneen 16,954
151. Reitz 16,637
152. Somerset East 16,155
153. White River 15,954
154. Hendrina 15,871
155. Ellisras 15,360
156. Kriel 15,055
157. Berea 15,000
158. Bredasdorp 14,936
159. Vredendal 14,806
160. Eshowe 14,786
161. Vrede 14,622
162. Claremont 14,531
163. Ekuvukeni 14,331
164. Greytown 13,912
165. Swellendam 13,674
166. Glencoe 13,547
167. Sandton 13,500
168. Jan Kempdorp 13,485
169. GAKGAPANE 13,000
170. Hoopstad 12,663
171. Breyten 12,550
172. Burgersdorp 12,548
173. Mankoeng 12,499
174. Sundumbili 12,455
175. Zastron 12,449
176. Colesberg 12,423
177. Deneysville 12,397
178. Clocolan 12,318
179. Adelaide 12,212
180. Koster 12,126
181. Brandfort 12,091
182. Whittlesea 12,080
183. Belfast 11,916
184. Elliot 11,836
185. Jeffrey's Bay 11,698
186. Thulamahashi 11,655
187. Barkly West 11,621
188. Koppies 11,445
189. Villiers 11,240
190. Prieska 11,236
191. Winburg 11,072
192. Ilinge 10,899
193. Marquard 10,839
194. Ventersburg 10,698
195. Vredefort 10,649
196. Springbok 10,438
197. Thabazimbi 10,365
198. Kirkwood 10,148
199. Mooirivier 10,132
200. Danielskuil 10,123
201. Molteno 10,078
202. Orange Farm 10,000
203. Rosebank 10,000
204. Ritchie 9,960
205. Alice 9,788
206. Kathu 9,219
207. Dordrecht 9,123
208. Kuruman 9,093
209. Calvinia 8,146
210. Willowmore 7,100
211. Constantia 6,922
212. Port Saint John's 5,939
213. Carnarvon 5,785
214. Caledon 4,687
215. Utrecht 3,575
216. Modderfontein 3,000
217. Sunset Beach 2,000
218. Muldersdriseloop 1,500

South Africa History

South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in the world. Extensive fossil remains at the Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Makapansgat caves suggest that various australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago. These were succeeded by various species of Homo, including Homo habilis, Homo erectus and modern humans, Homo sapiens. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River by the fourth or fifth century displacing and absorbing the original KhoiSan speakers. They slowly moved south and the earliest ironworks in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier KhoiSan people, reaching the Fish River, in today's Eastern Cape Province. These Iron Age populations displaced earlier people, who often had hunter-gatherer societies, as they migrated.

In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost point of Africa. Initially named The Cape of Storms, The King of Portugal, John II, renamed it the Cabo da Boa Esperana or Cape of Good Hope as it led to the riches of India. This great feat of navigation was later immortalized in Cames' epic Portuguese poem, The Lusiads. In 1652, a refreshment station was established at the Cape of Good Hope by Jan van Riebeeck on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. Slaves were brought from Indonesia, Madagascar, and India as a labour source for the Dutch immigrants in Cape Town. As they expanded east, the Dutch settlers eventually met the south-westerly expanding Xhosa people in the region of the Fish River. A series of wars, called the Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests.

Great Britain took over the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795 ostensibly to stop it falling into the hands of the Revolutionary French, but also seeking to use Cape Town in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India. It was later returned to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River and consolidating it by encouraging British settlement. Due to pressure of abolitionist societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global slave trade with the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, then abolished slavery in all its colonies with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. During the 1830s, approximately 12 000 Boers, departed from the Cape Colony, where they were subjected to British control, to the future Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal regions. The Boers founded the Boer Republics - the South African Republic and the Orange Free State.