GAUTENG AREA - CLIMATE AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Gauteng (pronounced /xaʊˈtɛŋ/[citation needed]; Sotho IPA: [xɑ́.ú.tʼè.ŋ̀]) is a province of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (or PWV) and was renamed Gauteng in December 1994.
Situated in the heart of the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa, with only 1.4% of the land area[1], but it is highly urbanised and has a population of 8,837,178 (2001 South African National Census), the second-largest after KwaZulu-Natal. 2005 estimates as put forward by the CSIR Gauteng Spatial Development Perspective suggest, however, that Gauteng has overtaken KwaZulu Natal to become the most populous province in South Africa, with a total of 9.5 million people living there, growing at around 100,000 people every year. KwaZulu Natal's population has been estimated at 9.3 million people.
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa known as the Highveld, at an elevation of 1,753 metres (5,751 ft). The former CBD is located on the south side of the prominent ridge called the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans: White Water's Ridge) and the terrain falls to the north and south. By and large the Witwatersrand marks the watershed between the Limpopo and Vaal rivers. The north and west of the city has undulating hills while the eastern parts are flatter.
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 26 ℃ (79 ℉), dropping to an average maximum of around 16 ℃ (61 ℉) in June. Winter is the sunniest time of the year, with cool days and cold nights. The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing frost. Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in May 1956, August 1962, June 1964, September 1981 and August 2006 (light). Snow fell again on 27 June 2007,[11] accumulating up to 10 centimeters (3.9 in) in the southern suburbs. Regular cold fronts pass over in winter bringing very cold southerly winds but usually clear skies. Climate Data: The annual average rainfall is 713 millimetres (28.1 in), which is mostly concentrated in the summer months.[citation needed] Infrequent showers occur through the course of the winter months.
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.
Pretoria is contained in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as one of several constituent former administrations (among which also Centurion and Soshanguve), and therefore sometimes incorrectly referred to as Tshwane — this contentious issue is still being decided as of 9 December 2008. Climate Data: The annual average rainfall is 674 millimetres (26.5 in) which is mostly concentrated in the summer months. Infrequent showers occur through the course of the winter months.
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane, pronounced /ˈtswɑːneɪ/ (listen)) is a metropolitan municipality contained in the province of Gauteng, South Africa, that includes the city of Pretoria.