Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city and is the country’s, indeed the continent’s, economic powerhouse. This cosmopolitan city is also known as Egoli – the place of gold – as it rapidly developed when a large gold reef was discovered in 1886. A wealth of culture and history are found in its museums and galleries including the moving and critically acclaimed Apartheid Museum. More can be learned about this turbulent time in South Africa’s history on a tour of the township of Soweto which includes visits to the Hector Pieterson Museum commemorating the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and Nelson Mandela’s former house.
Close to Johannesburg is the World Heritage Site of the Cradle of Humankind, which has some of the world’s most important archaeological sites, and Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital and home to the red sandstone Union Buildings, a museum in the former home of President Paul Kruger and the imposing Voortrekker Monument.
More commonly known as Joâ€™burg or Jozi, Johannesburg is a rapidly changing city and the vibrant heart of South Africa.