museum
Apartheid Museum
A powerful and moving museum that documents the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa.
5 km · about 10 min drive
AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng
Johannesburg
Gauteng, South Africa · Africa
About Johannesburg
Johannesburg is worth a stop: 20 minutes from Alberton, 5km from Apartheid Museum.
Johannesburg is in Gauteng, South Africa, with about 9.4 million people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Alberton, about 11 km away.
Johannesburg ( joh-HAN-iss-burg, US also -HAHN-, Afrikaans: [jʊəˈɦanəsbœrχ] ; Xhosa: eGoli [ɛˈɡɔːli]; Zulu: iGoli [îˈɡóːli]), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "the City of Gold", is the capital city of the province of Gauteng and the largest city in South Africa. In 2022 (the year of the most recent census),Read more
the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality had a population of 4,803,262, and the wider metropolitan area a population of 15,099,422, making it one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. It is also the seat of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court. Situated on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand, the city has long been at the epicentre of the international mineral and gold trade. The richest city in Africa by GDP and private wealth, Johannesburg functions as the economic capital of South Africa and is home to the continent's largest stock exchange, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Johannesburg was established in 1886, following the discovery of gold, on what was once farmland. Within a decade, the population surged to over 100,000, driven by the large gold deposits found along the Witwatersrand. Modern Johannesburg is an amalgamation of formerly separate cities, townships and settlements, reflecting apartheid-era spatial segregation policies. Soweto ("South-Western Townships"), designated a "blacks only" city until 1994, is one of the most historically significant areas for modern South Africa. Home to key anti-apartheid leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, it became the epicenter of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, where peaceful student protests were met with brutal force. In contrast, Lenasia is predominantly populated by English-speaking Indo-South Africans (people of Indian and South Asian descent). Formerly "white-only" areas include Sandton, known as "Africa's richest square-mile", Randburg and Roodeport.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Johannesburg?
Within an hour or so of Johannesburg: Apartheid Museum (5 km), Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (23 km), Zwartkops Raceway (44 km).
Where is Johannesburg?
Johannesburg is in Gauteng, South Africa, about 11 km from Alberton.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 9,418,183
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- South Africa
- Region
- Gauteng
- Timezone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates
- -26.2023, 28.0436
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in South Africa
112 works from mobiles. Avoid driving at night in rural areas; keep doors locked in cities.
Full driving guide for South AfricaTags
Worth the detour from Johannesburg
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
racetrack
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
South Africa's premier racing facility and former Formula 1 venue now hosting international GT and endurance racing.
23 km · about 25 min drive
racetrack
Zwartkops Raceway
A tight, undulating 2.4km circuit near Pretoria that is the heart of South African historic racing, with the Passion for Speed meeting each January drawing significant international machinery.
44 km · about 50 min drive
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