Vredenburg | |
|---|---|
 A landscape in Vredenburg | |
  Vredenburg  Vredenburg | |
| Coordinates:32°54′23″S17°59′45″E / 32.90639°S 17.99583°E /-32.90639; 17.99583 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| District | West Coast |
| Municipality | Saldanha Bay |
| Established | 1875 |
| Area | |
• Total | 13.75 km2 (5.31 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 38,382 |
| • Density | 2,791/km2 (7,230/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 28.7% |
| • Coloured | 55.7% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.6% |
| • White | 13.8% |
| • Other | 1.1% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 68.7% |
| • Xhosa | 19.3% |
| • English | 5.0% |
| • Sotho | 2.3% |
| • Other | 4.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 7380 |
| PO box | 7380 |
| Area code | 022 |
Vredenburg (locally/ˈfrɪərdənbɜːrɡ/;[2]Afrikaans:[ˈfriədənbœrχ]) is a town of the Cape West Coast in theWestern Cape province ofSouth Africa. "Vrede" isAfrikaans for peace. It is the transportation and commercial hub of the West Coast area and administrative centre of theSaldanha Bay Local Municipality. It is located 12 kilometres inland from the coast atSaldanha Bay on the Cape Columbine Peninsula 138 km north ofCape Town.
The town was established in 1875 initially as aDutch Reformed Church congregation to serve the surrounding communities, as the closest church was inHopefield. The town's original name was "Twisfontein", which fromAfrikaans can be translated as "dispute fountain".[3] This name came about when two competing farmers fought over the only available freshwater spring in the area. The town's name was later changed to "Prosesfontein". The town was renamed as they were discussing the matter of the freshwater spring and were trying to come to an agreement. When this agreement was settled and they have achieved a sense of peace among one another, the name "Vredenburg" was chosen. The town's population in 2011 was 38,382.[1] The city should not be confused with the ancientVredenburg in theLimpopo Province.
Municipalities and communities ofWest Coast District Municipality,Western Cape | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Moorreesburg | ||
| Matzikama | .svg) | |
| Cederberg | ||
| Bergrivier | ||
| Saldanha Bay | ||
| Swartland | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
