Johannesburg

Johannesburg, is the largest and most populous city in South Africa. The population of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area is almost eight million. The city is affectionately known as Jo'burg, Jozi and JHB by South Africans. The city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. There are daily numerous flights to Johannesburg and flights from Johannesburg to other main South African cities and International. South Africa's low cost carriers are Mango Airlines, Kulula Airlines, 1time Airline & Nationwide airline.

The name “Johannesburg” may come from three Dutchmen: Johannes Rissik, a surveyor; Johannes Joubert, a mining commissioner; and Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, who governed Transvaal from 1883 to 1900. The Zulu name, E’goli, means “city of gold”. Young and trendy residents now call the city “Jozi”.

Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, and which has the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa, producing 16 % of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng's economic activity.

Johannesburg is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills and has Africa's largest stock exchange, the JSE Securities Exchange. Built on the wealth of the gold beneath its streets, the remarkable city of Johannesburg mushroomed from nothing to a modern metropolis in just over a century. Travel to Johannesburg to discover the pot of gold in the 'rainbow nation' of South Africa. The best time to travel to Johannesburg is over the Festive season (December/January) when South African schools are on their summer break and the city tends to empty out as residents head to the coast for their holidays. This leaves Johannesburg's attractions uncrowded and accessible under a hot African sky.

On Arrival at Johannesburg Airport

Johannesburg is also served by O.R. Tambo International Airport, previously named Jan Smuts Airport after a white former prime minister and now renamed after Oliver Tambo, an apartheid-era president of the African National Congress), Johannesburg’s airport lies 20km east of the city centre and is much cleaner and more efficient than you might expect.

YOUR first stop on any trip to South Africa is likely to be OR Tambo International Airport, the hub of all air travel on the sub-continent. It's also the busiest airport in Africa: about 13 million passengers pass through it each year.

The airport has two terminals: Terminal A receives international traffic and Terminal B handles domestic flights. The terminals are connected; passengers can easily walk from one to the other, but there are shuttles for those who need help. Each terminal has two levels. On the top you will find departures; on the bottom, arrivals. The terminals are arranged in a long, narrow strip: the airfield is on one side and cars and buses are on the other.

Places of Interest

The Gold Mine
The largest gold resources in the world were found in the area of the Witwatersrand and it is therefore not a surprise that South Africa is one of the world leaders in gold mining. Johannesburg's other name, "Egoli" means City of Gold.