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.
11 km · about 20 min drive
AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng
Pretoria
Gauteng, South Africa · Africa
About Pretoria
Pretoria is worth a stop: 25 minutes from Centurion, 11km from Zwartkops Raceway.
Pretoria is in Gauteng, South Africa, with about 2.1 million people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Centurion, about 13 km away.
Pretoria ( prih-TOR-ee-ə, pree-; Afrikaans: [prəˈtʉəria] ) is the executive capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends westward into the foothills of the MagaliesbergRead more
mountains. It has a reputation as an academic city and centre of research, being home to the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of South Africa (UNISA), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the Human Sciences Research Council. It also hosts the National Research Foundation and the South African Bureau of Standards. Pretoria was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
As the administrative capital of the country, Pretoria hosts the headquarters of all national government departments and agencies. The city is also a major global diplomatic hub; it is home to 134 foreign embassies and high commissions, representing the second-largest concentration of diplomatic missions in the world, surpassed only by Washington, D.C.
Pretoria is the central part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality which was formed by the amalgamation of several former local authorities, including Bronkhorstspruit, Centurion, Cullinan, Hammanskraal and Soshanguve. Some have proposed changing the official name from Pretoria to Tshwane, which has caused some public controversy.
Pretoria is named after the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius, and South Africans sometimes call it the "Jacaranda City", because of the thousands of jacaranda trees planted along its streets and in its parks and gardens.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Pretoria?
Within an hour or so of Pretoria: Zwartkops Raceway (11 km), Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (31 km), Apartheid Museum (58 km).
Where is Pretoria?
Pretoria is in Gauteng, South Africa, about 13 km from Centurion.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,112,693
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- South Africa
- Region
- Gauteng
- Timezone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates
- -25.7449, 28.1878
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 Pretoria
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.
31 km · about 35 min drive
museum
Apartheid Museum
A powerful and moving museum that documents the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa.
58 km · about 65 min drive
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