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Johannesburg

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   Coordinates: 26°08′00″S, 27°54′00″E

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                                                     CAPTION: Johannesburg


                                   Flag of Johannesburg Johannesburg: Seal
                                   ( In detail)            ( In detail)

                                      City motto: Unity in Development
                                         Location of Johannesburg
                                          Province                 Gauteng
                                             Mayor            Amos Masondo
                                              Area
                                         - % water              1,644 km²
                                                                     0.00%
                                        Population
                                   - Total ( 2001)
                                         - Density  Ranked 96th
                                                               3,225,812
                                                                 1,962/km²
                                       Established                    1886
                                         Time zone           SAST ( UTC+2)
                                      Calling code                     011

   Johannesburg, also known as eGoli, is the most populous city in South
   Africa. The city is affectionately known as "Jo'burg", "Jozi" and "JHB"
   by South Africans. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng
   Province, the wealthiest province in South Africa, and the site of the
   South African Constitutional Court. The city is one of the 40 largest
   metropolitan areas in the world, and one of Africa's global cities
   (classified as a gamma world city). Whilst sometimes mistakenly assumed
   to be South Africa's capital city, Johannesburg is not even one of
   South Africa's three official capital cities (although Pretoria, which
   is in the same province, is).

   Johannesburg is the site of a large-scale gold and diamond trade due to
   its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills.
   Johannesburg is also served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, the
   largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international
   air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa.

   According to the 2001 Census, the population of the city is more than
   three million. Johannesburg's land area of 1,644 km² is very large when
   compared to other cities, resulting in a population density of only
   1,962/km². The population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area
   is almost eight million. Johannesburg also encompasses Soweto to the
   south west, a township which the apartheid government established to
   accommodate the large number of migrant workers.

History

   The farm where gold was first discovered in 1886.
   Enlarge
   The farm where gold was first discovered in 1886.
   The Central Business District of Johannesburg around 1931.
   Enlarge
   The Central Business District of Johannesburg around 1931.

   The region surrounding Johannesburg has been inhabited for millions of
   years. The Sterkfontein Caves, to the north west, have produced the
   most complete skeleton of a 3.3 million-year old hominid as well as
   close to 700 specimens of a closely related species, Australopithecus
   africanus, among them Mrs Ples, which is between 2.8 and 2.3 million
   years old.

   It is is theorised that the Johannesburg region was inhabited by the
   nomadic Bushmen people around 100,000 years ago. The Bushmen is said to
   have lived in the area until the Bantu-speaking people migrated into
   the area around the year AD 1060. The Bantu people were Iron Age people
   who domesticated animals, farmed crops, worked metal, made pottery, and
   lived in organised villages.

   The region remained inhabited by both the Bushmen and the Bantu people.
   When Europeans arrived in the area, small numbers of Boers started
   farms, but there was no major European settlement until the 1880s, when
   gold was discovered in the region, triggering a gold rush.

   Gold was initially discovered slightly to the east of present-day
   Johannesburg, in Barberton. Gold prospectors soon discovered that there
   were even richer gold reefs in the Witwatersrand.

   The town was initially much the same as any small prospecting
   settlement, but as word spread, people flocked to the area from all
   other regions of the country as well as from North America, the United
   Kingdom, and the rest of Europe. As the value of control of the land
   increased, tensions developed between the Afrikaners, who controlled
   the region during the nineteenth century, and the British, culminating
   in the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Boers lost the war and control of the
   area was ceded to the British.

   When the Union of South Africa was declared in 1910, this paved the way
   for a more organised mining structure. Later the South African
   government instituted a harsh racial system whereby blacks and Indians
   were heavily taxed, barred from holding skilled jobs, and consequently
   forced to work as migrant labour on Johannesburg's growing crop of gold
   mines.

   The South African government then instituted a system of forced
   removals, moving the population of non-European descent into specified
   areas. It is this system that created the sprawling shantytown of
   Soweto (South Western Townships), one of the areas where blacks were
   forced to live during the apartheid era. Nelson Mandela spent many
   years living in Soweto and his Soweto home in Orlando is currently a
   major tourist attraction.

   Large-scale violence broke out in 1976 when the Soweto Students'
   Representative Council organised protests against the use of Afrikaans
   as primary language of instruction, considered to be the language of
   the oppressors, in black schools. Police shot into a student march, and
   1000 people died in the following 12 months protesting the apartheid
   system. One of the most famous victims of the massacre, Hector
   Pieterson, is commemorated with a large Museum dedicated to his memory
   in Soweto.

   The regulations of apartheid were abandoned in February 1990, and since
   the 1994 elections, Johannesburg has been free of discriminatory laws.
   The black townships have been integrated into the municipal government
   system, and to some extent, the suburbs have become multiracial.
   However, there has been a large-scale migration of businesses and
   commerce away from the Central Business District and southern suburbs
   in favour of the northern suburbs. This was fueled by a rise in the
   crime rate, serious traffic congestion and inadequate public transport,
   and a more favourable tax environment for landlords in the northern
   suburbs prior to the integration of the city. Currently the
   Johannesburg Metropolitan Council is implementing a large scale Inner
   City Revival project leading to many business moving back to the inner
   city.

Government

                          Administrative Regions
      Region 1    Diepsloot, Kya Sand
      Region 2    Midrand, Ivory Park
      Region 3    Bryanston, Douglasdale, Fourways, Randburg, Sandton,
                  Strijdompark, Sunninghill, Woodmead
      Region 4    Emmarentia, Greenside, Melville, Northcliff, Rosebank,
                  Parktown, Parktown North,
      Region 5    Roodepoort, Constantia Kloof, Northgate
      Region 6    Doornkop, Soweto, Dobsonville, Protea Glen
      Region 7    Alexandra, Wynberg, Bruma
      Region 8    Inner City
      Region 9    Johannesburg South, City Deep, Aeroton, Southgate
      Region 10   Meadowlands, Diepkloof
      Region 11   Orange Farm, Ennerdale, Lenasia

   During the apartheid era, Johannesburg was divided into 11 local
   authorities, seven of which were white and four black or Coloured. The
   white authorities were 90 % self-sufficient from property tax and other
   local taxes, and spent Rand 600 ( USD $93) per person, while the black
   authorities were only ten percent self-sufficient, spending Rand 100
   (USD $15) per person.

   The first post-apartheid City Council was created in 1995. The council
   adopted the slogan "One City, One Taxpayer" in order to highlight its
   primary goal of addressing unequal tax revenue distribution. To this
   end, revenue from wealthy, traditionally white areas would help pay for
   services needed in poorer, black areas. The City Council was divided
   into four regions, each with a substantially autonomous local regional
   authority that was to be overseen by a central metropolitan council.
   Furthermore, the municipal boundaries were expanded to include wealthy
   satellite towns like Sandton and Randburg, poorer neighbouring
   townships such as Soweto and Alexandra, and informal settlements like
   Orange Farm.

   In 1999, Johannesburg appointed a city manager in order to reshape the
   city's ailing financial situation. The manager, together with the
   Municipal Council, drew up a blueprint called "Igoli 2002". This was a
   three-year plan that called upon the government to sell non-core
   assets, restructure certain utilities, and required that all others
   become self-sufficient. The plan took the city from near insolvency to
   an operating surplus of R153 million (USD $23.6 million).

Crime

   After the Group Areas Act was scrapped in the early 1990s, Johannesburg
   was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, mostly black, people
   who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city
   from surrounding black townships such as Soweto. Crime levels in
   formerly white areas rose. Many buildings were abandoned by landlords,
   especially in the high-density areas such as Hillbrow. Many
   corporations and institutions, including the JSE Securities Exchange,
   moved their headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs such as
   Sandton. By the late 1990s, Johannesburg was rated as one of the most
   dangerous cities in the world with well over 1000 murders every year.

   Reviving the city centre is one of the main aims of the municipal
   government of Johannesburg. Drastic measures have been taken to reduce
   crime in the city. These measures include closed-circuit television on
   street corners. Statistics show that crime levels in Johannesburg have
   dropped as the economy has stabilised and begun to grow . In an effort
   to prepare Johannesburg for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, local government
   has enlisted the help of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to help
   bring down the crime rate, as the opening and closing matches of the
   tournament will be played in the city .

Geography and climate

   Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa,
   known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1753 metres. The city is
   located on a small ridge called the Witwatersrand (White Water's Ridge:
   Afrikaans) and the city's northern and western suburbs have undulating
   hills, while the eastern metro area is generally flat.

   The city enjoys a dry, sunny climate with the exception of occasional
   late afternoon downpours in the summer months of October to April.
   Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild thanks to the
   city's high altitude, with the average maximum daytime temperature in
   January of 26ºC, dropping to an average maximum of around 16°C in June.
   During the winter, the temperature occasionally drops to below freezing
   at nightime, causing frost. Snow is a rare occurrence, although the
   city experienced snowfall in September 1982 and light snow in August
   2006). The annual average rainfall is 713mm, which is mostly
   concentrated in the summer months.

   Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg contains about six
   million trees, and it is often claimed that the city has the largest
   man-made forest in the world. Many trees were originally planted in the
   northern areas of the city at the end of the 19th century, to provide
   wood for the mining industry. The areas were developed by a German
   immigrant, who called the forest estates Sachsenwald. The name was
   changed to Saxonwold, now the name of a suburb, during World War I.
   White residents who moved into the areas, now generally referred to as
   the Northern Suburbs, retained many of the original trees and planted
   new ones, with the encouragement of successive city councils. In recent
   years, however, a considerable number of trees have been felled, to
   make way for the Northern Suburbs' speedy residential and commercial
   redevelopment. The city is therefore at risk of losing its forest
   coverage within a few decades.

   CAPTION: Climate Table

   Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
   Highest recorded temperature ( °C) 35 34 32 29 26 23 24 26 31 32 33 32
   35
   Average daily maximum temperature ( °C) 26 25 24 21 19 16 17 19 23 24
   24 25 22
   Average daily minimum temperature ( °C) 15 14 13 10 7 4 4 6 9 11 13 14
   10
   Lowest recorded temperature ( °C) 7 6 2 1 -3 -8 -5 -5 -3 0 2 4 -8
   Average monthly precipitation ( mm) 125 90 91 54 13 9 4 6 27 72 117 105
   713
   Average number of rain days (>= 1 mm) 16 11 12 9 3 2 1 2 4 10 15 15 99
   Source: South African Weather Service

Demographics

   Geographical distribution of home languages in Johannesburg.
   Enlarge
   Geographical distribution of home languages in Johannesburg.

   According to the 2001 South African National Census, the population of
   Johannesburg is 3,225,812 people, though including the East Rand and
   other suburban areas it's around 7 million, who live in 1,006,930
   formal households, of which 86 % have a flush or chemical toilet, and
   91 % have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week. 86 %
   of households have access to running water, and 80 % use electricity as
   the main source of energy. 22 % of Johannesburg residents stay in
   informal dwellings. 65 % of households are headed by one person.

   Black Africans account for 73 % of the population, followed by whites
   at 16 %, Coloured South Africans at 6 % and Asians at 4 %. 42 % of the
   population is under the age of 24, while 6 % of the population is over
   60 years old. 37 % of city residents are unemployed. 91 % of the
   unemployed are black. Women comprise 43 % of the working population. 19
   % of economically active adults work in wholesale and retail sectors,
   18 % in financial, real estate and business services, 17 % in
   community, social and personal services and 12 % are in manufacturing.
   Only 0.7 % work in mining.

   34 % of Johannesburg residents speak Nguni languages at home, 26 %
   speak Sotho languages, 19 % speak English, and 8 % speak Afrikaans. 29
   % of adults have graduated from high school. 14 % have higher education
   (University or Technical school). 7 % of residents are completely
   illiterate. 15 % have primary education.

   34 % use public transportation to commute to work or school. 32 % walk
   to work or school. 34 % use private transportation to travel to work or
   school.

   53 % belong to mainstream Christian churches. 24 % are atheist. 14 %
   are members of African Independent Churches. 3 % are Muslim. 1 % are
   Jewish. 1 % are Hindu.

Economy

   The skyline of Johannesburg's Central Business District as seen from
   the observatory of the Carlton Centre.
   Enlarge
   The skyline of Johannesburg's Central Business District as seen from
   the observatory of the Carlton Centre.

   Johannesburg is the economic and financial hub of South Africa,
   producing 16 % of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts
   for 40 % of Gauteng's economic activity. Mining is the foundation of
   the Witwatersrand's economy, but its importance is gradually declining.
   While gold mining no longer takes place within the city limits, most
   mining companies have their headquarters in Johannesburg. The city has
   a great variety of manufacturing industries, including steel and cement
   plants. Many banking and commercial companies are also located in
   Johannesburg. Johannesburg has Africa's largest stock exchange, the JSE
   Securities Exchange. Due to its commercial importance, this city is the
   site of a number of government branch offices, as well as consular
   offices and other institutions that are usually found only in capital
   cities. There is also a very large informal economy consisting of
   cash-only street traders and vendors which are largely missed in
   official statistics. The Witwatersrand urban complex is a major
   consumer of water in a dry region. Its continued economic and
   population growth has depended on schemes to divert water from other
   regions of South Africa and from the highlands of Lesotho, but
   additional sources will be needed early in the 21st century.

   The container terminal at City Deep is purported to be the largest "dry
   port" in the world, with some 60 % of cargo that arrives through the
   port of Durban arriving in Johannesburg. The City Deep area has been
   declared an IDZ (industrial development zone) by the Gauteng
   government, as part of the Blue IQ Project.

   Johannesburg's largest and most prestigious shopping centres are
   Sandton City and Hyde Park respectively. Other centres include
   Rosebank, Eastgate, Westgate, Northgate, Southgate, and Cresta. There
   are also plans to build an extremely large shopping centre, known as
   the Zonk'Izizwe Shopping Resort, in Midrand. "Zonk'Izizwe" means "All
   Nations" in isiZulu, indicating that the centre will cater to the
   city's diverse mix of peoples and races.

Suburbs

   Johannesburg as seen from the International Space Station.
   Enlarge
   Johannesburg as seen from the International Space Station.

   The different suburbs of Johannesburg are generally categorised by
   compass direction, as different areas of the city have greatly
   different personalities. Since Johannesburg is such a large city, there
   is great variety in the suburbs that comprise it. While the Central
   Business District and the surrounding areas were formerly highly
   desired wealthy areas, they have lost their former reputation after
   migrants took over abandoned buildings, and the crime level rose
   accordingly. The suburbs to the south of the city are mainly
   lower-class residential suburbs along with some townships, although
   most suburbs in the South tend to be extremely large and
   undistinguished.

   The northern and northwestern suburbs have become the centre for the
   wealthy, containing the high-end retail shops and well as several
   upper-class residential areas including Houghton, where Nelson Mandela
   makes his home. The northwestern area in particular is vibrant and
   lively, with the mostly-black suburb of Sophiatown a hotbed of
   political activity and the Bohemian-flavoured Melville featuring lively
   gathering places and nightlife. Auckland Park is home to the
   headquarters of the South African Broadcasting Corporation and the
   University of Johannesburg.

   To the southwest of the City Centre is Soweto, a mostly black urban
   area constructed during the apartheid regime specifically for housing
   African people who were then living in areas designated by the
   government for white settlement. Today, Soweto is among the poorest
   parts of Johannesburg. The eastern suburbs include Yeoville, a hot spot
   for black nightlife despite its otherwise poor reputation, and several
   residential areas that are slowly gaining respectability.

Tourism

   Johannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination,
   but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town,
   Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international
   visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which
   has led to the development of more attractions for tourists. Recent
   additions have centred around history museums, such as the Apartheid
   Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City, a large
   amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a
   large draw for tourists in the city. The Johannesburg Zoo is also one
   of the largest in South Africa.

   The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art
   Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and
   figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city
   of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. The
   Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by
   staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern
   South African playwriting.

   There is also a large industry around visiting former townships, such
   as Soweto and Alexandra. Most visitors to Soweto go to see the Mandela
   Museum, which is located in the former home of Nelson Mandela.

   The Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site is 25 kilometres to
   the northwest of the city. The Sterkfontein fossil site is famous for
   being the world's richest hominid site and produced the first adult
   Australopithecus africanus and the first near-complete skeleton of an
   early Australopithecine.

Sports teams and stadiums

   Ellis Park Stadium, the host of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
   Enlarge
   Ellis Park Stadium, the host of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
         Club        Sport            League                Stadium
   Kaizer Chiefs    Football Premier Soccer League    Johannesburg Stadium
   Moroka Swallows  Football Premier Soccer League    Rand Stadium
   Orlando Pirates  Football Premier Soccer League    FNB Stadium
   Alexander United Football MTN Supersport Leagues   Alexander Stadium
   Katlehong City   Football MTN Supersport Leagues   Potgietersrus Rugby
                                                      Stadium
   Highveld Lions   Cricket  Standard Bank Cup Series Wanderers Stadium
   Lions            Rugby    Super 14                 Ellis Park Stadium
   Golden Lions     Rugby    Currie Cup               Ellis Park Stadium

   Johannesburg’s most popular sports by participation are football,
   running, rugby, and cricket. The Lions, formerly the Cats, represent
   Johannesburg, North West and Mpumalanga in the Southern Hemisphere's
   Super 14 Rugby Competition, which includes teams from South Africa,
   Australia, and New Zealand. Johannesburg is also the home of the Golden
   Lions, who play at Ellis Park Stadium and compete in the Currie Cup.

   Early each Sunday morning, tens of thousands of runners gather to take
   part in informal runs organised by several athletic clubs. People from
   Johannesburg are football mad and clubs from Johannesburg either play
   in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) or the First Division. In the PSL,
   the top Johannesburg teams are all fierce rivals and include Kaizer
   Chiefs (also known as the Amakhosi), Orlando Pirates (also known as the
   Buccaneers) and Moroka Swallows, based at the city's Johannesburg,
   Rand, and FNB stadiums respectively. Witwatersrand University,
   nicknamed the Clever Boys, who have a player membership of over 1,500,
   one of the world's largest are also part of the premier league. First
   Division teams include Katlehong City and Alexander United, who play at
   Alexander and Reiger Park stadiums respectively

   In cricket, the Highveld Lions represent Johannesburg, the rest of
   Gauteng as well as the North West Province at the Wanderers Stadium.
   They take part in the Supersport and MTN Domestic Championship.
   Johannesburg will also be the location of several matches in the 2010
   FIFA World Cup, which is to be held in South Africa.

Transport

   The M2 in the afternoon as it passes through the Central Business
   District.
   Enlarge
   The M2 in the afternoon as it passes through the Central Business
   District.
   Beyers Naudé Drive, one of Johannesburg's main arterial avenues, in
   Fourways.
   Enlarge
   Beyers Naudé Drive, one of Johannesburg's main arterial avenues, in
   Fourways.
   A full minibus taxi.
   Enlarge
   A full minibus taxi.
   A board on the M1 indicating the exit for Johannesburg. The M1 is one
   of the busiest highways in Johannesburg.
   Enlarge
   A board on the M1 indicating the exit for Johannesburg. The M1 is one
   of the busiest highways in Johannesburg.
   A rainy drive on the N1.
   Enlarge
   A rainy drive on the N1.

   Johannesburg, much like Los Angeles, is a young and sprawling city
   geared towards private motorists, and lacks a convenient public
   transportation system. However, as many of Johannesburg's residents are
   comparatively poor when compared to those of Los Angeles, a significant
   number are unable to afford their own cars and are dependent on the
   city's informal minibus taxis.

   Mass transit

   Johannesburg's metro railway system connects central Johannesburg to
   Soweto, Pretoria, and most of the satellite towns along the
   Witwatersrand. The railways transport huge numbers of workers every
   day. However, the railway infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's
   infancy and covers only the older areas in the city's south. In the
   past half century Johannesburg has grown largely northwards, and none
   of the northern areas, including the key business districts of Sandton,
   Midrand, Randburg, and Rosebank, have any rail infrastructure.

   The Gauteng Provincial Government's Blue IQ Project, Gautrain, however,
   has made provisions for the creation of a rapid rail link, running
   north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and east-west
   between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport. Slated to be
   ready in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the rail system is being
   designed to alleviate traffic on the N1 freeway between Johannesburg
   and Pretoria, which records vehicle loads of up to 160,000 per day.

   Airports

   Johannesburg is served by OR Tambo International Airport (formerly
   Johannesburg International Airport) for both domestic and international
   flights. Other airports include Rand Airport, Grand Central Airport,
   and Lanseria. Rand Airport, located in Germiston, is a small airfield
   used mostly for private aircraft and the home of South African
   Airways's first Boeing 747 Classic, the Lebombo, which is now an
   aviation museum. Grand Central is located in Midrand and also caters to
   small, private aircraft. Lanseria Airport is used for commercial
   flights to Cape Town, Botswana, and Sun City.

   Buses

   Johannesburg is served by a bus fleet operated by Metrobus, a corporate
   unit of the City of Johannesburg. It has a fleet consisting of
   approximately 550 single and double-decker buses, plying 84 different
   routes in the city. This total includes 200 modern buses (150
   double-deckers and 50 single-deckers), made by Volvo and
   Marcopolo/Brasa in 2002. Metrobus' fleet carries approximately 20
   million passengers per annum. Metrobus also operates a number of
   open-top buses in the "City Slicker" role, using them to provide guided
   tours around the city. In addition there are a number of private bus
   operators, though most focus on the inter-city routes, or on bus
   charters for touring groups.

   Taxis

   Johannesburg has two kinds of taxis, metered taxis and minibus taxis.
   Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the
   city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a
   destination. Metered taxis are rare, in comparison to many other
   cities.

   The minibus "taxis" are the de facto standard and essential form of
   transport for the majority of the population. Although essential, these
   taxis are often of a poor standard in not only road-worthiness, but
   also in terms of driver quality with a majority of taxi drivers
   breaking traffic laws regularly (such as driving in the emergency lane
   while speeding on a highway). With the high demand for transport by the
   working class of South Africa, minibus taxis are often over-filled with
   passengers causing yet another hazard for road users. However, without
   subsidies from Government and a lack of other feasible public
   transport, minibus taxis will remain an essential form of transport for
   many of Joburg's working class.

   Freeways
          Main article: Johannesburg freeways

   The fact that Johannesburg is not built near a large navigable body of
   water has meant that from the very beginning of the city's history,
   ground transportation has been the most important method of
   transporting people and goods in and out of the city. One of Africa's
   most famous "beltways" or ring roads/orbitals is the Johannesburg Ring
   Road. The road is comprised of three freeways that converge on the
   city, forming an 80-kilometre loop around it: the N3 Eastern Bypass,
   which links Johannesburg with Durban; the N1 Western Bypass, which
   links Johannesburg with Pretoria and Cape Town; and the N12 Southern
   Bypass, which links Johannesburg with Witbank and Kimberley. The N3 was
   built exclusively with asphalt, while the N12 and N1 sections were made
   with concrete, hence the nickname given to the N1 Western Bypass, "The
   Concrete Highway". In spite of being up to 12 lanes wide in some areas
   (6 lanes in either direction), the Johannesburg Ring Road is frequently
   clogged with traffic. The Gillooly's Interchange, built on an old farm
   and the point at which the N3 Eastern Bypass and the R24 Airport
   Freeway intersect, is purported to be the busiest interchange in the
   Southern Hemisphere.

   Trains

   Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail started construction in October
   2006 and will be completed by 2010, in time for the FIFA World Cup. It
   will comprise of number of underground stations (in the built up areas)
   as well as above ground. It will run from Johannesburg's Park Station,
   through Rosebank, Sandton, Midrand and into Pretoria. There will also
   be a line from the OR Tambo International Airport traveling to Sandton.
   This will be the first new rail way that has been laid in South Africa
   since 1977.

Universities in Johannesburg

   Johannesburg has a well-developed higher education system of both
   private and public universities. Johannesburg is served by the public
   universities University of the Witwatersrand and the University of
   Johannesburg.

   University of Johannesburg was formed on 1 January 2005 when three
   separate universities and campuses— Rand Afrikaans University,
   Technikon Witwatersrand, and Vista University—were merged together. The
   new university offers education primarily in English and Afrikaans,
   although courses may be taken in any of South Africa's official
   languages.

   The University of the Witwatersrand is one of the leading universities
   in South Africa, and is famous as a centre of resistance to apartheid,
   earning it the nickname "Moscow on the Hill".

   Private universities include Monash University, which has one of its
   eight campuses in Johannesburg (six of the other campuses are in
   Australia, while the eighth is in Malaysia), and Midrand Graduate
   Institute which is located in Midrand.

Sister cities

   Johannesburg's sister cities are:
     * United Kingdom Birmingham, England (United Kingdom)
     * United States New York City, New York (United States)
     * People's Republic of China Xi'an, China.
     * Brazil São Paulo, Brazil.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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