Kimberley, Northern Cape

Kimberley
City
Top: City centre seen over the Big Hole, Middle left: Griqualand West High Court, right: Kimberley Town Hall, bottom left: Trinity Church, Honoured Dead Memorial, World War I Memorial
Kimberley Show map of Northern Cape Kimberley Show map of South Africa Kimberley Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 28°44′18″S 24°45′50″E / 28.73833°S 24.76389°E / -28.73833; 24.76389
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Frances Baard
Municipality	Sol Plaatje
Established	5 July 1873; 150 years ago (1873-07-05)
Government
• Mayor	Kagisho Dante Sonyoni[1] (ANC)
Area [2]
• Total	212.64 km2 (82.10 sq mi)
Elevation	1,184 m (3,885 ft)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	225,160
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	63.1%
• Coloured	26.8%
• Indian/Asian	1.2%
• White	8.0%
• Other	0.9%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Afrikaans	43.2%
• Tswana	35.8%
• English	8.7%
• Xhosa	6.0%
• Other	6.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	8301
PO box	8300
Area code	053

Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is located approximately 110 km east of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The city has considerable historical significance due to its diamond mining past and the siege during the Second Anglo-Boer war. British businessmen Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato made their fortunes in Kimberley, and Rhodes established the De Beers diamond company in the early days of the mining town.

On 2 September 1882, Kimberley was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and the second in the world after Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States to integrate electric street lights into its infrastructure. The first stock exchange in Africa was built in Kimberley, as early as 1881.^[3]