Johannesburg

Johannesburg , city (1991 pop. 1,574,631), Gauteng, NE South Africa, on the southern slopes of the Witwatersrand at an altitude of 5,750 ft (1,753 m). Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, the center of its important gold-mining industry, its manufacturing and commercial center, and the hub of its transportation network. Gold mining is the sprawling city's chief industry. Manufactures include cut diamonds, industrial chemicals, plastics, cement, electrical, electronic, and mining equipment, paper and paper products, glass, food products, and beer. South Africa's main stock exchange (founded 1887) is in the city. O. R. Tambo International Airport is nearby. Johannesburg was founded as a mining settlement in 1886, when gold was found on the Witwatersrand; by 1900 the city had a population of c.100,000. Johannesburg's large black population provides labor for the mines. In accordance with apartheid law, racial groups were once restricted to separate residential areas; most blacks still live in Soweto . Formerly a group of townships southwest of the city, Soweto became an independent city in 1983. Rand Afrikaans Univ. (1966), the Univ. of the Witwatersrand (1922), and Witwatersrand College for Advanced Technical Education (1925) are in Johannesburg, as is the African Union 's Pan-African Parliament. The city is also home to several museums, an art gallery, a planetarium, a zoo, a bird sanctuary, and numerous parks. Jan Smuts House is in the city. Nearby is Kyalami Circuit, where international motor races are held.

Johannesburg City in ne Republic of South Africa; capital of Gauteng province. It was founded in 1886. Today, it is South Africa's leading industrial and commercial city, and the administrative headquarters for gold-mining companies. Industries: pharmaceuticals, metal, machinery, textiles, engineering, diamond-cutting. Pop. (1996) 1,480,530.