Johannesburg: Research, Research, Research…

Johannesburg, affectionately called Jo’burg, Jozi, and E’Goli, the “city of gold,” is the financial and industrial metropolis of South Africa, built on a rich history of gold mining. The city is rapidly evolving from an edgy safari stopover to a vibrant hub for arts and culture.

Johannesburg was founded in 1886. This after the European settlers struck gold in a local farm in 1884.

It started what is now known as the Witwatersrand Gold Rush that attracted more than 1,000 white settlers.

A decade later, the population of the town had grown to 100,000. Today, Johannesburg is home to more than 8 million people. This makes it the largest city in South Africa.

Johannesburg is often described as Africa’s economic powerhouse. It has more than one business central districts such as Sandton, Rosebank and Roodepoort.

International corporations have their headquarters in this city. Johannesburg Securities Exchange, the country’s only stock exchange market is among the top 20 in the world.

You can commune with wildlife at a popular lion park; stroll among the beautiful gardens, parks, and other attractions in Pretoria, the country’s administrative capital; and explore the UNESCO-listed Cradle of Humankind, one of the richest paleoanthropological sites in the world. Discover the best things to do with our list of the top attractions in Johannesburg.

Johannesburg’s inner city is filled with striking pieces commenting on the social and cultural zeitgeist and metropolitan areas, such as the Maboneng precinct, Jeppestown, and Newtown, are being transformed through the introduction of trendy cafés, restaurants, art galleries and, of course, street art.

The largest man made “Urban” forest is located in Johannesburg. There are over 6 million trees in the city. The area of Jo’burg used to be grasslands, so most of the planted trees are not indigenous. After the discovery of gold, lots of trees were planted for the props of the mines, many of those planted were blue gum trees.