Limpopo (/lɪmˈpoʊpoʊ/) is the northernmostprovince ofSouth Africa. It is named after theLimpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mountainous vicinity and named the area after their leader. The Lebombo mountains are also named after them. The river has been called the Vhembe by local Venda communities of the area.^[5] The capital and largest city in the province isPolokwane, while the provincial legislature is situated inLebowakgomo.

Limpopo
Province
Marakele National Park
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Peace, Unity and Prosperity
Location of Limpopo in South Africa
Coordinates:24°S29°E / 24°S 29°E /-24; 29
Country	South Africa
Established	27 April 1994
Capital	Polokwane
Districts	List Mopani Vhembe Capricorn Waterberg Sekhukhune
Government
• Type	Parliamentary system
• Premier	Phophi Ramathuba (ANC)
• Legislature	Limpopo Provincial Legislature
Area [1]: 9
• Total	125,754 km2 (48,554 sq mi)
• Rank	5th in South Africa
Highest elevation	2,126 m (6,975 ft)
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	5,404,868
• Rank	5th in South Africa
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
• Rank	5th in South Africa
Population groups (2022) [2]
• Black	96%
• White	3.1%
• Indian orAsian	0.5%
• Coloured	0.3%
• Other	0.1%
Languages (2022) [2]
• Pedi	55.5%
• Venda	17.4%
• Tsonga	17.3%
• Afrikaans	2.3%
• Shona	1.6%
• Tswana	1.4%
• Southern Ndebele	1.1%
• English	1.0%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
ISO 3166 code	ZA-LP
HDI (2019)	0.710[3] high ·3rd of 9
GDP	US$31.3 billion[4]
Website	www.limpopo.gov.za

The province is made up of three former homelands ofLebowa,Gazankulu andVenda and part of the formerTransvaal province. The Limpopo province was established as one of nine provinces after the1994 South African general election. The province's name was first "Northern Transvaal", later changed to "Northern Province" on 28 June 1995, with two other provinces. The name was later changed again in 2002 to the Limpopo Province. Limpopo is made up of three main ethnic groups: thePedi, theTsonga and theVenda.

Traditional leaders and chiefs still form a strong backbone of the province's political landscape. Established in terms of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Act, Act 5 of 2005, the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders' main function is to advise the government and the legislature on matters related to custom, tradition, and culture, including developmental initiatives that affect rural communities. On 18 August 2017, Kgosi Malesela Dikgale was re-elected as the Chairperson of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders.^[6]

The world heritage site of the Mapungubwe National Park boasts archaeological finds from the period of a powerful local kingdom that ruled here between 800 CE and 1290 existed. The remains of asettlement from the period between the 15th and 17th century can be seen in Thulamela in the northern part of the Kruger National Park.

Until 1994 it was the northern part of the former Transvaal Province. For a short period since 1994 it was called the Province of NorthernTransvaal and thereafter, through the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act No. 20 of 1995 from July 1995 initiallyNorthern Province.^[7][8] The province was named after theLimpopo River by decision of the provincial assembly in 2002, and at the same time most of the cities on its territory were renamed.^[9][10] However, the renaming of the province required an amendment to the South African constitution, which was passed with an amending law was made in 2003.^[11]

In 2013, Stan Mathabatha replaced his predecessor Cassel Mathale (both ANC) as Prime Minister.

Limpopo Province shares international borders with districts and provinces of three countries:Botswana'sCentral andKgatleng districts to the west and northwest respectively,Zimbabwe'sMatabeleland South andMasvingo provinces to the north and northeast respectively, andMozambique'sGaza Province to the east.^[12] Limpopo is the link between South Africa and countries further afield insub-Saharan Africa. On its southern edge, from east to west, it shares borders with the South African provinces ofMpumalanga,Gauteng, andNorth West. Its border with Gauteng includes that province'sJohannesburg-Pretoria axis, the most industrialised metropolis on the continent. The province is central to regional, national, and international developing markets.

Limpopo contains much of theWaterberg Biosphere, amassif of approximately 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi) which is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named a UNESCOBiosphere Reserve.^[13]

The current Premier of Limpopo Province isPhophi Ramathuba, representing theAfrican National Congress.

Limpopo Province is divided into fivedistrict municipalities. The district municipalities are in turn divided into 25local municipalities:

Limpopo has a total population of 6.015 million with 1.641 million households.^[14] The province has a relatively high Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.710, which is the third highest in South Africa.

The bushveld isbeef cattle country, where extensive ranching operations are often supplemented by controlled hunting. About 80% of South Africa'sgame hunting industry is in Limpopo.

Sunflowers,cotton,maize andpeanuts are cultivated in theBela-Bela andModimolle areas. Modimolle is also known for its tablegrapes. An embryoticwine industry is growing in Limpopo.^[15] Tropical fruit, such asbananas,litchis,pineapples,mangoes andpawpaws, as well as a variety ofnuts, are grown in theTzaneen andLouis Trichardt areas. Tzaneen is also at the centre of extensivecitrus,tea, andcoffee plantations and a majorforestry industry. Most of the farmers and households lack a water supply which makes them drill boreholes on their premises.^[16]

Most Limpopo residents live in rural areas; this has led to a new phenomenon of rural development, where the residents have invested in building lavish homes on their tribal land. Limpopo rural houses have been profiled by TV channels, lifestyle vloggers, social media influencers, and Africa's biggest facts brand, Africa Facts Zone. According to^[14] 96.2% of Limpopo live in formal housing, above the national average of 84.0%. This makes Limpopo the province with the highest percentage of people living in formal housing in South Africa.

Limpopo's rich mineral deposits include the platinum group metals, iron ore, chromium, high- and middle-gradecoking coal, diamonds,antimony,phosphate, and copper, as well as mineral reserves like gold, emeralds,scheelite,magnetite,vermiculite,silicon, andmica. Commodities such asblack granite,corundum, andfeldspar are also found. Mining contributes to over a fifth of the provincial economy.

Limpopo has the largestplatinum deposit in South Africa.^[17] TheWaterberg Coalfield, the eastern extension ofBotswana'sMmamabula coalfields, is estimated to contain 40% of South Africa's coal reserves.^[18]

The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has targeted the province as a preferredeco-tourism destination. Its Environment and Tourism Programme encompasses tourism, protected areas, and community environment development to achieve sustainable economic growth.^[19]

While Limpopo is one of South Africa's poorest provinces, it is rich in wildlife, which gives it an advantage in attracting tourists. Both the private and public sectors are investing in tourism development.^[20]

NearModjadjiskloof, atSunland Baobab farms, there is a large Baobab tree which has been fashioned into a relatively spacious pub.^[21]

The province has excellent road, rail, and air links. The N1 route fromJohannesburg, which extends the length of the province, is the busiest overland route in Africa in terms of cross-border trade in raw materials and beneficiated goods.^{[citation needed]} The port ofDurban, South Africa's busiest, is served directly^{[clarification needed]} by the province, as are the ports ofRichards Bay andMaputo.Polokwane International Airport is situated just north ofPolokwane. Limpopo province contains approximately 56 airports and airstrips.^[22]

The Department of Education is responsible for effecting quality education and training for all. The Department has to coordinate all professional development and support. Policies, systems, and procedures had to be developed.^{[citation needed]}

As of December 2020, 12.9% of the Limpopo population had attained some post-school qualifications.^[14] The following higher education institutions are found in Limpopo:

• University of Limpopo (Polokwane,Mankweng)
• University of Venda (Thohoyandou)
• Tshwane University of Technology (Polokwane Campus)
• Capricorn College for TVET (Polokwane)^[23]
• Lephalale TVET College (Lephalale)^[24]
• Letaba TVET College (Tzaneen)^[25]
• Mopani South East TVET College (Phalaborwa)^[26]
• Sekhukhune TVET College (Motetema)^[27]
• Vhembe TVET College (Venda)^[28]
• Waterberg TVET College (Mokopane)^[29]

• Association football:Polokwane was one of South Africa's host cities for the2010 FIFA World Cup, with matches being played at thePeter Mokaba Stadium. Football clubs in the province include Real Rovers, Silver Stars,Black Leopards,Polokwane City,Magesi,Baroka,Ria Stars and Dynamos.
• Rugby union: Limpopo has no provincial rugby team of its own; it is represented in the domesticCurrie Cup by thePretoria-basedBlue Bulls. The Blue Bulls also operate aSuper Rugby franchise, theBulls. Limpopo nonetheless produces its share of top players. Most notably, the second most-capped forward in the history ofthe country's national team,Victor Matfield, is a native of Polokwane.^[30]
• Basketball: The province is home toLimpopo Pride, a professional team that plays in South Africa's top basketball division, theBasketball National League.

The population of Limpopo consists of several ethnic groups distinguished by culture, language, and race. 97.3% of the population isBlack, 2.4% isWhite, 0.2% isColoured, and 0.1% isIndian/Asian. The province has the smallest percentage and second smallest total number ofWhite South Africans in the country. However, there are several localities with a White majority, notablyHoedspruit andModimolle. It also has the highest Black percentage out of all the provinces.

TheNorthern Sotho people comprise the largest percentage of the population, 52% of the province. TheTsonga people comprise about 24.0% of the province; the Tsonga also comprise about 11.5% ofMpumalanga province since the southern part of their homeland,Gazankulu, was cut off from Limpopo and allocated to Mpumalanga. TheVenda make up about 16.7%.Afrikaners make up the majority of Limpopo's White population, about 95,000 people;English-speaking Whites number just over 20,000.Vhembe district has the smallest share of White people in Limpopo, about 5,000 total. In contrast, theWaterberg district has the largest share of Whites, with more than 60,000 Whites residing there.Coloureds andAsians/Indians make up a tiny percentage of the province's total population.

At 18.5% (2007), Limpopo has a relatively high incidence ofHIV compared to other South African provinces. Cases rose from 14.5% to 21.5% between 2001 and 2005, with a slight fall between 2005 and 2007.^[31] However, as at 2019, the Limpopo province HIV stats sat at (13.2%) which is one of the lowest in comparison with other provinces in South Africa.^[32]

• List of cities and towns in Limpopo
• Limpopo River
• Xibelani dance
• Zoutpansberg division

• Limpopo Provincial Government
• Limpopo Tourism Agency