View source for Transvaal (province)

{{About|the defunct South African province|other uses|Transvaal (disambiguation){{!}}Transvaal}}
{{Short description|1910–1994 province of South Africa}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{infobox former subdivision
| Name                 = Province of Transvaal
| native_name          = Provinsie van Transvaal
| capital              = [[Pretoria]]
| subdivision          = Province
| nation               = South Africa
| year_start           = 1910
| year_end             = 1994
| Status               = [[Provinces of South Africa|Province of South Africa]]
| Origin               = {{flagcountry|Transvaal Colony}}
| Start                = 1910
| End                  = 27 April 1994
| Replace              = [[Gauteng]], [[Limpopo]], [[Mpumalanga]], and eastern part of [[North West (South African province)|North West]]
| image_map            = Locator map of Transvaal Province as of 1 March 1994.svg
| image_map_caption    = The Transvaal as it was by 1994
| Image                = [[File:Coat of Arms of the Transvaal Province.png|100px]]
| Arms                 =
| Civic                =
| Motto                =
| legislature          = [[Transvaal Provincial Council]]
| Divisions            =
| DivisionsNames       =
| DivisionsMap         =
| CodeName             =
| Code                 =
| PopulationFirst      = 1,268,716<ref name="Sanderson2001"/>
| PopulationFirstYear  = 1904    
| PopulationSecond     = 9,491,265<ref name=RSAdist/>
| PopulationSecondYear = 1991   
| AreaFirst            = {{convert|111196|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| AreaFirstYear        = 1904<ref name="Sanderson2001">{{cite book|author=Edgar Sanderson|author-link=Edgar Sanderson|title=Great Britain in Africa: The History of Colonial Expansion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FMsNAG-gresC&pg=PA149|access-date=10 September 2013|date=1 November 2001|publisher=Simon Publications LLC|isbn=978-1-931541-31-2|page=149}}</ref>
}}
{{EB1922 Poster|Transvaal}}
The '''Province of Transvaal''' ({{langx|af|Provinsie van Transvaal}}), commonly referred to as the '''Transvaal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|ɑː|n|s|v|ɑː|l|,_|ˈ|t|r|æ|n|s|-}}; {{IPA|af|transˈfɑːl|lang}}), was a province of [[South Africa]] from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of [[apartheid]]. The name "Transvaal" is from the Latin prefix trans, which means across from, or on the other side. Hence, Transvaal refers to the province's geographical location to the north of the [[Vaal River]]. Its capital was [[Pretoria]], which was also the country's executive capital.

==History==
In 1910, four British colonies united to form the [[Union of South Africa]]. The [[Transvaal Colony]], which had been formed out of the bulk of the old [[South African Republic]] after the [[Second Boer War]], became the Transvaal Province in the new union. Half a century later, in 1961, the union ceased to be part of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and became the [[South Africa|Republic of South Africa]]. The [[PWV Megalopolis|PWV]] (Pretoria-[[Witwatersrand]]-[[Vereeniging]]) [[conurbation]] in the Transvaal, centred on Pretoria and [[Johannesburg]], became South Africa's economic powerhouse, a position it still holds today as [[Gauteng]] Province.

In 1994, after the fall of [[apartheid]], the former provinces were abolished, and the Transvaal ceased to exist. The south-central portion (including the PWV) became [[Gauteng]], the northern portion became [[Limpopo Province|Limpopo]] and the southeastern portion became [[Mpumalanga Province|Mpumalanga]]. Most of the [[North West Province (South Africa)|North West]] came from the southwestern portion of the old Transvaal, and a tiny segment of the Transvaal joined [[KwaZulu-Natal]]. 

Even before 1994, the Transvaal Province was subdivided into regions for a number of purposes (such as municipal and district courts, and sporting divisions). These divisions included Northern Transvaal (present-day [[Limpopo]] and Pretoria), Eastern Transvaal (currently [[Mpumalanga]]), Western Transvaal (currently part of [[North West (South Africa)|North West Province]]) and Southern Transvaal (now [[Gauteng]] Province, but which also includes Pretoria).

== Geography ==
The Transvaal province lay between the [[Vaal River]] in the south, and the [[Limpopo River]] in the north, roughly between {{frac|22|1|2}} and {{frac|27|1|2}} S, and 25 and 32 E. To its south it bordered with the [[Orange Free State]] and [[Natal Province|Natal]] provinces, to its west were the [[Cape Province]] and the [[Bechuanaland Protectorate]] (later [[Botswana]]), to its north [[Rhodesia]] (later [[Zimbabwe]]), and to its east [[Portuguese East Africa]] (later [[Mozambique]]) and [[Swaziland]]. Except on the south-west, these borders were mostly well defined by natural features.

Several [[Bantustan]]s were entirely inside the Transvaal: [[Venda]], [[KwaNdebele]], [[Gazankulu]], [[KaNgwane]] and [[Lebowa]]. Parts of [[Bophuthatswana]] were also in the Transvaal, with other parts in [[Cape Province]] and [[Orange Free State Province|Orange Free State]].

Within the Transvaal lies the [[Waterberg Massif]], a prominent ancient geological feature of the South African landscape.

===Regions===
{{expand section|date=March 2018}}
* PWV region (later Gauteng province) consisting of the [[Witwatersrand]], which in turn consists of the [[West Rand]] and the [[East Rand]], as well as Johannesburg; the [[Vaal Triangle]] and Pretoria.
* The North West
* [[Limpopo]]
* [[Mpumalanga]]

==Districts in 1991==
[[File:TransvaalDistricts.png|thumb|A map of districts of Transvaal]]
Districts of the province and population at the 1991 census.<ref name=RSAdist>{{cite web|title=Census > 1991 > RSA > Variable Description > Person file > District code|url=http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|publisher=Statistics South Africa – Nesstar WebView|access-date=18 August 2013|archive-date=19 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619202856/http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!District
!Population
|-
| [[Johannesburg]]
| 1,574,631
|-
| [[Alberton, Gauteng|Alberton]]
| 367,929
|-
| [[Germiston]]
| 171,541
|-
| [[Boksburg]]
| 195,905
|-
| [[Benoni, Gauteng|Benoni]]
| 288,629
|-
| [[Kempton Park, Gauteng|Kempton Park]]
| 354,787
|-
| [[Randburg]]
| 341,430
|-
| [[Roodepoort]]
| 219,149
|-
| [[Westonaria]]
| 160,531
|-
| [[Oberholzer]]
| 177,768
|-
| [[Randfontein]]
| 116,405
|-
| [[Krugersdorp]]
| 196,213
|-
| [[Brakpan]]
| 130,463
|-
| [[Springs, Gauteng|Springs]]
| 157,702
|-
| [[Nigel, Gauteng|Nigel]]
| 92,881
|-
| [[Delmas, Mpumalanga|Delmas]]
| 48,614
|-
| [[Pretoria]]
| 667,700
|-
| [[Wonderboom, Pretoria|Wonderboom]]
| 266,153
|-
| [[Soshanguve]]
| 146,334
|-
| [[Cullinan, Gauteng|Cullinan]]
| 32,006
|-
| [[Vanderbijlpark]]
| 434,004
|-
| [[Vereeniging]]
| 250,511
|-
| [[Heidelberg, Gauteng|Heidelberg]]
| 77,055
|-
| [[Balfour, Mpumalanga|Balfour]]
| 38,311
|-
| [[Standerton]]
| 85,893
|-
| [[Hoëveldrif]] (main town [[Secunda, South Africa|Secunda]])
| 155,881
|-
| [[Bethal]]
| 77,780
|-
| [[Volksrust]]
| 29,924
|-
| [[Amersfoort, Mpumalanga|Amersfoort]]
| 33,461
|-
| [[Wakkerstroom]]
| 33,246
|-
| [[Piet Retief, Mpumalanga|Piet Retief]]
| 64,052
|-
| [[Ermelo, Mpumalanga|Ermelo]]
| 111,082
|-
| [[Carolina, Mpumalanga|Carolina]]
| 30,438
|-
| [[Bronkhorstspruit]]
| 38,605
|-
| [[Witbank]]
| 173,281
|-
| [[Middelburg, Mpumalanga|Middelburg]]
| 140,015
|-
| [[Belfast, Mpumalanga|Belfast]]
| 28,973
|-
| [[Waterval-Boven]]
| 9,300
|-
| [[Groblersdal]]
| 57,742
|-
| [[Moutse]] (main town [[Dennilton]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Mine Kills 2 Whites in South Africa : Toll at 13 in Blasts Attributed to Black Guerrilla Offensive|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-05-mn-24554-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=5 January 1986 |access-date=18 August 2013}}</ref>
| 102,179
|-
| [[Nelspruit]]
| 61,921
|-
| [[Barberton, Mpumalanga|Barberton]]
| 72,165
|-
| [[Witrivier]]
| 30,235
|-
| [[Pilgrim's Rest, Mpumalanga|Pelgrimsrus]] (main town [[Sabie]])
| 29,063
|-
| [[Lydenburg]]
| 36,976
|-
| [[Greater Letaba Local Municipality|Letaba]] (main town [[Tzaneen]])
| 59,900
|-
| [[Phalaborwa]]
| 30,126
|-
| [[Soutpansberg]] (main town [[Louis Trichardt]])
| 35,839
|-
| [[Musina|Messina]]
| 22,959
|-
| [[Polokwane|Pietersburg]]
| 64,207
|-
| [[Mokopane|Potgietersrus]]
| 69,571
|-
| [[Waterberg District Municipality|Waterberg]] (main town [[Nylstroom]])
| 48,991
|-
| [[Ellisras]]
| 24,530
|-
| [[Thabazimbi]]
| 48,844
|-
| [[Bela Bela|Warmbad]]
| 41,692
|-
| [[Brits, North West|Brits]]
| 111,798
|-
| [[Rustenburg]]
| 125,307
|-
| [[Swartruggens]]
| 12,607
|-
| [[Groot Marico|Marico]]
| 38,983
|-
| [[Koster, North West|Koster]]
| 29,228
|-
| [[Ventersdorp]]
| 36,315
|-
| [[Coligny, South Africa|Coligny]]
| 22,154
|-
| [[Lichtenburg, North West|Lichtenburg]]
| 79,013
|-
| [[Delareyville]]
| 36,036
|-
| [[Potchefstroom]]
| 185,552
|-
| [[Klerksdorp]]
| 321,478
|-
| [[Wolmaransstad]]
| 61,497
|-
| [[Schweizer-Reneke]]
| 46,893
|-
| [[Bloemhof]]
| 15,291
|-
| [[Christiana, South Africa|Christiana]]
| 13,596
|-
|}

==Administrators==
{{main|List of administrators of former South African provinces#Transvaal Province}}

==Sports==
The province was divided into a number of sporting teams. These teams were renamed after the Transvaal became defunct, however their traditional territories have remained unchanged in many cases, even though they overlap the boundaries of the Transvaal's successor provinces.

Examples of this include the [[Blue Bulls]] (formerly ''Northern Transvaal''), which governs rugby in Pretoria (now part of Gauteng) and Limpopo Province, and the [[Golden Lions]] (formerly ''Transvaal'') formed in 1889.

The [[Orlando Pirates Football Club]] was founded in 1937 and was originally based in Orlando, Soweto and [[Kaizer Chiefs]] were founded in January 1970. In the same year, [[Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.]] originated from Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area north west of the Pretoria CBD in the early 1960s.

Cricket teams from the former Transvaal include ''Transvaal'' (later [[Gauteng (cricket team)|Gauteng]]) which represented the southern parts of the province, and ''Northern Transvaal'' (later [[Northerns (cricket team)|Northerns]]) that represents the northern parts of Gauteng, including Pretoria, as well as areas further north.{{clarify|date=March 2018}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{SA1910Provinces}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|25|S|30|E|type:country_source:kolossus-nlwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Former provinces of South Africa]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1910]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1994]]
[[Category:1910 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:1994 disestablishments in South Africa]]