Phalaborwa

Phalaborwa (translated to English as better than the south; phala means better than and borwa means south) is a town in the Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. It is located near the confluence of the Ga-Selati River and the Olifants, halfway up along the western border of the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld.

"Ba-Phalaborwa" redirects here. For the local municipality, see Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality.
Phalaborwa
The entrance sign to Phalaborwa
Phalaborwa
Phalaborwa
Coordinates: 23°56′S 31°7′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceLimpopo
DistrictMopani
MunicipalityBa-Phalaborwa
Area
 • Total193.33 km2 (74.65 sq mi)
Elevation
437 m (1,434 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total13,108
 • Density68/km2 (180/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African56.8%
 • Coloured1.9%
 • Indian/Asian1.5%
 • White39.4%
 • Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans15.10%
 • English11.1%
 • Tsonga10.1%
 • Northern Sotho51.7%
 • Other12.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1389
PO box
1390
Area code015
WebsitePhalaborwa trade and tourism

Name

The name "Ba-Phalaborwa", given to the area by the Sotho tribes who moved here from the south, means better than the south. The Sotho mined and smelted copper and iron ore here as far back as 400 AD. Masorini, near Phalaborwa gate, is a reconstructed Ba-Phalaborwa hill village, with huts, grain storage areas, and an iron smelting site.

Surrounding townships

There are two townships, Namakgale and Lulekani where the Pedi and Tsonga reside, and rural areas such as Mashishimale, Ben Farm (Majeje), Makushane and Ga-Maseke.Ga-selwane.majeje 3 and prieska

Mining

Phalaborwa began as a mining town and still is home to Palabora Mining. The massive open pit mine, nearly 2,000 meters across, is Africa's widest manmade hole.[2]

Tourism

Tourism and wildlife play a dominant role in the life of this town. It is the only town in South Africa that borders the Kruger National Park, the Mozambiquan border is only two hours drive away. Lately, with the incorporation of various private game reserves into the conservancy area, Phalaborwa is all but enclaved by nature conservancies. The Hans Merensky Golf Estate is situated on the outskirts of the town.[3]

Nearby natural attractions are Blyde River Canyon, the Three Rondavels, God's Window and Bourke's Luck Potholes; the Tzaneen fruit farms and Hoedspruit game farms can all be visited within a day.

Transport

Air

Phalaborwa Airport is a commercial airport serving the town.

Notable people

Climate

This area, also known as the Valley of the Olifants, has the highest winter temperatures in South Africa. The rainfall is low and the average winter temperatures range from 9 °C to 26 °C. During summer the average temperatures vary from 20 °C to 33 °C with occasional heavy rainfall. The highest recorded temperature was 50 °C in December 2018.[4]

Climate data for Phalaborwa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 34
(93)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 30
(86)		 29
(84)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 28
(82)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 33
(91)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.5
(79.7)		 26
(79)		 25
(77)		 23
(73)		 20
(68)		 18
(64)		 17.5
(63.5)		 19
(66)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 26
(79)		 22
(72)
Average low °C (°F) 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 20
(68)		 17
(63)		 12
(54)		 10
(50)		 9
(48)		 11
(52)		 14
(57)		 17
(63)		 19
(66)		 21
(70)		 16
(61)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 97
(3.8)		 81
(3.2)		 65
(2.6)		 25
(1.0)		 12
(0.5)		 4
(0.2)		 7.5
(0.30)		 7
(0.3)		 21
(0.8)		 46
(1.8)		 69
(2.7)		 96
(3.8)		 529
(20.8)
Source: [5]
gollark: Fiddly and bad.
gollark: You can use Rc but it's fiddly.
gollark: Well. You do.
gollark: Pointers are unsafe.
gollark: https://cglab.ca/~abeinges/blah/too-many-lists/book/

References
  1. "Main Place Phalaborwa". Census 2011.
  2. Mining
  3. "Directions - Golf in the Wild". Hans Merensky Hotel & Spa. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  4. "Bing Weather", accessed 6 June 2014
  5. Weatherbase.com Retrieved 6 June 2014.


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