Christiana, North West

Christiana, North West
Christiana
Christiana is located in North West
Christiana
Coordinates: 27°55′12″S 25°9′36″E / 27.92°S 25.16°E / -27.92; 25.16
Country  South Africa
Province North West Province
District Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati
Local Municipality Lekwa-Teemane
Population
 - Total 15,322
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)

Christiana is an agricultural town with 15.322 [1] inhabitants on the banks of the Vaal River in North West Province of South Africa The town is located on the N12 between Bloemhof and Warrenton, on the way to Kimberley (Northern Cape). It is the administrative centre of Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality.[2]

History

When diamonds were discovered in the Vaal River in the 1870s the former Transvaal Government established a settlement on the banks of the river in 1870, in an attempt to control and alleviate land disputes over diamond discoveries further down the Vaal River. This town was established on the farm Zoutpansdrift (salt pan drift) and named Christiana, after the only daughter of President Pretorius of the old Transvaal. The first residential stands were sold in 1870.

Two years later diamonds were discovered in the gravel of the Vaal River close by and the inevitable manic rush followed. As usual the initial rush petered with the diamonds. In 1997, diamonds were rediscovered along the banks of a farm on the Free State side of Christiana. This led to a new diamond rush and diggings that continue to this day.

Economy

The town contains one of the biggest diggers' bells ever to exist in the world. The bell is currently under water in the Vaal River as it once sank and ended in the drowning of several diggers. There were a few attempts to get the diggers' bell out, as it is said that there are diamonds still in it, but it was in vain as it is surrounded by too much mud

Christiana is one of the corners of the "Maize Rectangle", with the mainstay of the economy being the production of maize, potatoes, onions, sorghum, groundnuts and beef. The main farmers in the area are the de Beer's and Callender-Easby's. One of South Africa's top horse studs, Callaho Warmblood Sport Horses, can be found near Christiana.

Christiana is well known for its water sports along the Vaal River, as well as the Diamond Diggers Festival (Delwers Fees) that occurs annually. Other tourist attractions include the Diggers' Diamond Museum (authentic digging equipment and old photographs pay tribute to the town's diamond industry) and San Bushman rock art (excellent examples can be viewed 6 km out of town on the Farm Stowlands) and Stows Kopje (prehistoric rock engravings which have been declared a national monument).

References

Coordinates: 27°55′S 25°09′E / 27.917°S 25.15°E / -27.917; 25.15


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • North West (South African province) — North West Province redirects here. For other similarly named provinces, see Northwestern Province. North West Bokone Bophirima (Tswana) Noordwes (Afrikaans)   Province …   Wikipedia

  • North West Province Australian Football League — The North West Province Australian Football League is an Australian rules football competition in South Africa operating out of the North West Province. Clubs Christiana Ventersdorp Ganyesa SCORE community Bodibe Verdwaal Rustenburg Mafikeng… …   Wikipedia

  • Lichtenburg, North West — Lichtenburg is a town situated in North West Province of South Africa.The town was established in 1873 and was named by Transvaal President Thomas Burgers, Lichtenburg (Town of Light). On the 13 March 1926, Jacobus Voorendyk, discovered a diamond …   Wikipedia

  • List of cities and towns in the North West Province — This is a list of cities and towns in the North West Province of South Africa.Bophirima District Municipality* Amalia * Bray * Ganyesa * Mareetsane * Mothibastad * Pampierstad * Reivilo * Schweizer Reneke * Setlagole * Stella * Taung * Tosca *… …   Wikipedia

  • R29 (North West) — The R29 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Christiana with Devon via Potchefstroom and Johannesburg. It is double marked with the N12 for most of its length.External links* [http://www.routes.co.za/route/R/R29/index.html Routes… …   Wikipedia

  • Christiana Hundred — is the name of an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly, and while their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they… …   Wikipedia

  • Christiana, Dane County, Wisconsin — Christiana, Wisconsin   Town   Location of Christiana, Wisconsin …   Wikipedia

  • North Bristol, Wisconsin — North Bristol is an unincorporated community in the town of Bristol in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States.[1] It is a suburb of Madison. Notes ^ http://wisconsin.hometownlocator.com/wi/dane/north bristol.cfm …   Wikipedia

  • List of districts of West Bengal — Districts of West Bengal The Indian state of West Bengal borders with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and Sikkim. The Himalayas lies in the north of the state and the Bay of Bengal is at the… …   Wikipedia

  • Church of St. Ouen, Rouen — North west view. The Church of St. Ouen is a large Gothic Roman Catholic church in Rouen, northern France, famous for both its architecture and its large, unaltered Cavaillé Coll organ, which Charles Marie Widor described as a Michelangelo of an… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”