Northern Cape

Northern Cape Noord-Kaap (Afrikaans) Kapa Bokone (Tswana) Mntla-Koloni (Xhosa)
Province
Coat of arms
Motto:  Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi (Strive for a better life)
Location of the Northern Cape in South Africa
Country	South Africa
Established	27 April 1994
Capital and largest city	Kimberley
Districts	List Namakwa Pixley ka Seme ZF Mgcawu Frances Baard John Taolo Gaetsewe
Government
• Type	Parliamentary system
• Premier	Zamani Saul (ANC)
• Legislature	Northern Cape Provincial Legislature
Area [1]: 9
• Total	372,889 km2 (143,973 sq mi)
• Rank	1st in South Africa
Highest elevation	2,156 m (7,073 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2022 Census)[2]
• Total	1,355,629
• Rank	9th in South Africa
• Density	3.6/km2 (9.4/sq mi)
• Rank	9th in South Africa
Population groups [3]
• Black	50.1%
• Coloured	41.6%
• White	7.3%
• Indian or Asian	0.8%
Languages [1][dead link]: 25
• Afrikaans	53.8%
• Tswana	33.1%
• Xhosa	5.3%
• English	3.4%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
ISO 3166 code	ZA-NC
HDI (2021)	0.701[4] high · 6th of 9
GDP	US$9.1 billion[5]
Website	www.northern-cape.gov.za

The Northern Cape (Afrikaans: Noord-Kaap [ˈnuərtkɑːp]; Tswana: Kapa Bokone; Xhosa: Mntla-Koloni) is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and an international park shared with Botswana. It also includes the Augrabies Falls and the diamond mining regions in Kimberley and Alexander Bay.

The Namaqualand region in the west is famous for its Namaqualand daisies. The southern towns of De Aar and Colesberg found within the Great Karoo are major transport nodes between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Gqeberha. Kuruman can be found in the north-east and is known as a mission station. It is also well known for its artesian spring and Eye of Kuruman. The Orange River flows through the province, forming the borders with the Free State in the southeast and with Namibia to the northwest. The river is also used to irrigate the many vineyards in the arid region near Upington.

Native speakers of Afrikaans comprise a higher percentage of the population in the Northern Cape than in any other province. The Northern Cape's four official languages are Afrikaans, Tswana, Xhosa, and English. Minorities speak the other official languages of South Africa and a few people speak indigenous languages such as Nama and Khwe.

The provincial motto, Sa ǁa ǃaĩsi 'uĩsi ("We go to a better life"), is in the Nǀu language of the Nǁnǂe (ǂKhomani) people. It was given in 1997 by one of the language's last speakers, Ms. Elsie Vaalbooi of Rietfontein, who has since died. It was South Africa's first officially registered motto in a Khoisan language. Subsequently, South Africa's national motto, ǃKe e ǀxarra ǁke, was derived from the extinct ǀXam language.