South African cities, found on the map

Every one on the map

Every place listed below can be asked in this game. Places you find in a passed round drop out of your remaining pool.

What the map tells you about each one

The paragraph the game shows when you find each one. Reading them first is not cheating.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg grew around the Witwatersrand gold rush in 1886 and became a major financial centre. Soweto was an important centre of the struggle against apartheid.

Cape Town

The Dutch East India Company established a Cape supply station in 1652. Cape Town is the seat of Parliament, beside Table Mountain and Table Bay.

Durban

Durban is an important Indian Ocean port in KwaZulu-Natal, with a long-established Indian community. Bunny chow, curry served in a hollowed loaf, developed here.

Pretoria

Pretoria is the seat of the president and the government, at the Union Buildings. Thousands of jacaranda trees turn its streets purple each October.

Gqeberha

Gqeberha was called Port Elizabeth until 2021, when it took the isiXhosa name for the Baakens River. Addo Elephant National Park is an hour away.

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is home to the Supreme Court of Appeal. The ANC was founded here in 1912, and J. R. R. Tolkien was born here in 1892.

East London

East London is the only river port in South Africa, at the mouth of the Buffalo River. A coelacanth, a fish thought extinct for millions of years, was found near here in 1938.

Pietermaritzburg

In 1893 a young Mohandas Gandhi was thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg station for sitting in a whites-only carriage, a moment he said changed his life.

Kimberley

Kimberley grew around a diamond rush in 1871. The Big Hole, dug by hand to a depth of 215 meters, is one of the largest hand-dug excavations in the world.

Polokwane

Polokwane, once called Pietersburg, is the main city of the north. It hosted matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Mbombela

Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is the gateway to the Kruger. It grows much of the country’s citrus and subtropical fruit.

Rustenburg

Rustenburg sits on the Bushveld Complex, the largest platinum deposit in the world. Paul Kruger, president of the Boer republic, farmed nearby.

Mahikeng

Mahikeng, long spelled Mafeking, was besieged for 217 days in the Anglo-Boer War. It was also the colonial capital of Bechuanaland, now Botswana, though it lay outside it.

Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch, founded in 1679, is the second oldest European town in the country. Oak-lined streets and old wine estates surround its university.

George

George is the main town of the Garden Route, a stretch of coast with forests, lagoons and beaches running east to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

Upington

Upington is an oasis of vineyards and date palms on the Orange River at the edge of the Kalahari. Its long runway was built to test aircraft in the desert heat.

Makhanda

Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown, hosts the National Arts Festival every winter, the largest arts festival in Africa.

Richards Bay

Richards Bay has one of the largest coal export terminals in the world. It lies close to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Mthatha

Mthatha was the capital of the Transkei homeland under apartheid. The Nelson Mandela Museum stands here, near the villages where he grew up.

Springbok

Springbok is the main town of Namaqualand, whose semi-desert is carpeted with daisies after the winter rains. The country’s first copper mine opened nearby in 1852.

How this one works

The other maps of South Africa

Afghanistan has the same map in Cities and towns of Afghanistan. Albania has the same map in Cities and towns. Algeria has the same map in Cities of Algeria. Angola has the same map in Cities and towns of Angola. Argentina has the same map in Argentine cities. Armenia has the same map in Cities and towns of Armenia. Australia has the same map in Australian cities. Austria has the same map in Austrian cities and towns. Azerbaijan has the same map in Cities and towns of Azerbaijan. Bahamas has the same map in Bahamian cities and settlements. Bahrain has the same map in Cities and districts of Bahrain. Bangladesh has the same map in Bangladeshi cities and towns. Belarus has the same map in Cities and towns. Belgium has the same map in Belgian cities. Bhutan has the same map in Cities and towns of Bhutan. Bolivia has the same map in Bolivian cities and towns. Bosnia and Herzegovina has the same map in Cities and towns. Botswana has the same map in Cities and towns of Botswana. Brazil has the same map in Brazilian cities. Brunei has the same map in Cities and towns of Brunei. Bulgaria has the same map in Bulgarian cities. Cambodia has the same map in Cambodia’s cities and towns. Canada has the same map in Canadian cities. Chad has the same map in Cities and towns of Chad. Chile has the same map in Chilean cities and towns. China has the same map in Chinese cities. Colombia has the same map in Colombian cities. Costa Rica has the same map in Costa Rican cities and towns. Côte d’Ivoire has the same map in Cities and towns of Côte d’Ivoire. Croatia has the same map in Cities and towns. Cuba has the same map in Cuban cities and towns. Cyprus has the same map in Cities and towns. Czechia has the same map in Czech cities. Democratic Republic of the Congo has the same map in Cities and towns of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Denmark has the same map in Danish cities. Dominican Republic has the same map in Dominican cities and towns. Ecuador has the same map in Ecuadorian cities and towns. Egypt has the same map in Egyptian cities. El Salvador has the same map in Salvadoran cities and towns. Estonia has the same map in Cities and towns. Ethiopia has the same map in Cities of Ethiopia. Fiji has the same map in Fijian cities and settlements. Finland has the same map in Finnish cities. France has the same map in French cities. Georgia has the same map in Cities and towns of Georgia. Germany has the same map in German cities. Ghana has the same map in Ghanaian cities. Greece has the same map in Greek cities and towns. Guatemala has the same map in Guatemalan cities and towns. Guyana has the same map in Guyanese cities, towns and communities. Haiti has the same map in Cities and towns of Haiti. Honduras has the same map in Honduran cities and towns. Hungary has the same map in Hungarian cities and towns. Iceland has the same map in Icelandic cities and towns. India has the same map in Indian cities. Indonesia has the same map in Indonesian cities. Iran has the same map in Iranian cities. Iraq has the same map in Cities of Iraq. Ireland has the same map in Irish cities and towns. Israel has the same map in Cities and towns of Israel. Italy has the same map in Italian cities. Jamaica has the same map in Jamaican cities and towns. Japan has the same map in Japanese cities. Jordan has the same map in Cities and towns of Jordan. Kazakhstan has the same map in Kazakhstan’s cities. Kenya has the same map in Kenyan cities and towns. Kosovo has the same map in Cities and towns. Kuwait has the same map in Cities and districts of Kuwait. Kyrgyzstan has the same map in Cities and towns of Kyrgyzstan. Laos has the same map in Laos’s cities and towns. Latvia has the same map in Cities and towns. Lebanon has the same map in Cities and towns of Lebanon. Libya has the same map in Cities and oases of Libya. Lithuania has the same map in Cities and towns. Luxembourg has the same map in Cities and towns. Madagascar has the same map in Malagasy cities and towns. Malaysia has the same map in Malaysia’s cities. Maldives has the same map in Islands and settlements of the Maldives. Mali has the same map in Cities and towns of Mali. Malta has the same map in Cities and towns. Mauritania has the same map in Cities and towns of Mauritania. Mexico has the same map in Mexican cities. Moldova has the same map in Moldovan cities. Mongolia has the same map in Mongolian cities and towns. Montenegro has the same map in Cities and towns. Morocco has the same map in Cities of Morocco and Western Sahara. Mozambique has the same map in Cities and towns of Mozambique. Myanmar has the same map in Myanmar’s cities and towns. Namibia has the same map in Namibian cities and towns. Nepal has the same map in Nepali cities and towns. Netherlands has the same map in Dutch cities. New Zealand has the same map in New Zealand cities. Nicaragua has the same map in Nicaraguan cities and towns. Niger has the same map in Cities and towns of Niger. Nigeria has the same map in Cities of Nigeria. North Korea has the same map in North Korean cities. North Macedonia has the same map in Cities and towns. Northern Cyprus has the same map in Cities and towns of Northern Cyprus. Norway has the same map in Norwegian cities. Oman has the same map in Cities and towns of Oman. Pakistan has the same map in Cities and towns of Pakistan. Palestine has the same map in Cities and towns of Palestine. Panama has the same map in Panamanian cities and towns. Papua New Guinea has the same map in Cities and towns of Papua New Guinea. Paraguay has the same map in Paraguayan cities and towns. Peru has the same map in Peruvian cities. Philippines has the same map in Philippine cities. Poland has the same map in Polish cities. Portugal has the same map in Portuguese cities. Qatar has the same map in Cities and towns of Qatar. Romania has the same map in Romanian cities. Russia has the same map in Russian cities. Saudi Arabia has the same map in Saudi cities. Senegal has the same map in Senegalese cities. Serbia has the same map in Cities and towns. Slovakia has the same map in Cities and towns. Slovenia has the same map in Cities and towns. Somalia has the same map in Cities and towns of Somalia. South Korea has the same map in South Korean cities. Spain has the same map in Spanish cities. Sri Lanka has the same map in Cities and towns of Sri Lanka. Sudan has the same map in Cities of Sudan. Suriname has the same map in Surinamese cities, towns and communities. Sweden has the same map in Swedish cities. Switzerland has the same map in Swiss cities and towns. Syria has the same map in Cities of Syria. Taiwan has the same map in Taiwanese cities and towns. Tajikistan has the same map in Cities of Tajikistan. Tanzania has the same map in Tanzanian cities and towns. Thailand has the same map in Thai cities and towns. Timor-Leste has the same map in Cities and towns of Timor-Leste. Tunisia has the same map in Tunisian cities and towns. Türkiye has the same map in Turkish cities. Turkmenistan has the same map in Cities of Turkmenistan. Ukraine has the same map in Ukrainian cities. United Arab Emirates has the same map in Cities and towns of the UAE. United Kingdom has the same map in British cities. United States has the same map in American cities. Uruguay has the same map in Uruguayan cities and towns. Uzbekistan has the same map in Cities of Uzbekistan. Venezuela has the same map in Venezuelan cities. Vietnam has the same map in Vietnamese cities and towns. Yemen has the same map in Cities and towns of Yemen. Zambia has the same map in Cities and towns of Zambia. Zimbabwe has the same map in Cities and towns of Zimbabwe. All three together on the South Africa atlas page, the country itself on the South Africa guide, and the other two hundred on the world map.