Destination Johannesburg

Johannesburg

The commercial hub of South Africa, Johannesburg is the greenest city in the world. Johannesburg is the most populous city of South Africa. It is the capital of South Africa’s province Gauteng which is the wealthiest province of the country. The city is the largest metropolitan in the world which is not located on bank of any river or lake. The city is a financial hub of South Africa and produces 16% of South Africa’s total GDP. Gold and Diamond mining are the major mineral resources for the city’s economic activities. Johannesburg is located on the eastern region of South Africa. It is not built on any river but its streams join up to meet the biggest rivers of the country. The city experiences a Subtropical highland climate. The temperature variations are mild. Winters are nice warm and sunny with temperature dropping at night to cause frost. Summers are sunny and dry with occasional thunder showers. The maximum temperature to reach in summers is 27C and the minimum in winters reaches at 4C.

Even with the dry climate of the city, ten million trees stand in the city and hold the biggest man-made forest. The city is therefore called one of the greenest cities in the world. The city is expanding into north, east, west and south suburbs. Business district was desirable living area but with the expansion, suburbs of the city are witnessing vast population shift from the inner part of the city. The inner parts are left with lower income level groups and crime rate is higher in those areas. Yeoville is the famous suburb of the city known for its nightlife. The southern suburbs hold blue collar population of the city. Western suburbs have experienced slow down in the mining activity but property prices have boomed in the area due to investments from black community. The east and south suburbs have seen major increase in population. The industries and commercial areas have shifted to this part of the city.

Being the economic and commercial hub of the country, Johannesburg houses the tallest structures of Africa. The Sentech tower, Hillbrow Tower and Carlton Centre are some tallest buildings in the city. The skyline of the city holds buildings of national and international organizations like IBM, Absa, First National Bank, Nedbank, Standard Bank and Whillis group. The older structures have been pulled down and turned into modern ones. Basically, the city is a commercial hub and is not a famous tourist destination but it is a transit point to take flights to tourist cities like Cape Town and Durban. Many international visitors pass through the city which has led to the development for tourist attractions in the city. History museums have been added like Apartheid Museum and Hector Pieterson Museum. Many visitors also come to see Mandela Museum which is located on the home on Nelson Mandela. Large rock art and history of the city can be pondered in the Museum Africa. There is also a theme park in the city called Gold Reef Park which includes underground mine tour and amusement park.