38-745: The Kaapvaal Craton (centred on the Limpopo Province in South Africa ), along with the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia, are the only remaining areas of pristine 3.6–2.5 Ga (billion years ago) crust on Earth. Similarities of rock records from both these cratons , especially of the overlying late Archean sequences, suggest that they were once part of the Vaalbara supercontinent . The Kaapvaal Craton covers an area of approximately 1,200,000 km (460,000 sq mi) and
76-757: A settlement 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 Northern Transvaal and thereafter, through the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act No. 20 of 1995 from July 1995 initially Northern Province . The province
114-540: A province of South Africa , and the remainder in neighbouring Eswatini . It constitutes 40% of the Barberton Greenstone Belt . The area ranges in altitude from 600 to 1,800 metres (2,000 to 5,900 ft) above mean sea level. It has a number of rocky hills, with moist grassy uplands and forested valleys. The region lies within the Barberton centre of endemism . The mean annual precipitation
152-583: A slight fall between 2005 and 2007. 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. Makhonjwa Mountains The Makhonjwa Mountains or Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains are a range of small mountains and hills that covers an area of 120 by 60 kilometres (75 by 37 mi), about 80% in Mpumalanga ,
190-463: A variety of nuts , are grown in the Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt areas. Tzaneen is also at the centre of extensive citrus , tea , and coffee plantations and a major forestry industry. Most of the farmers and households lack a water supply which makes them drill boreholes on their premises. Most Limpopo residents live in rural areas; this has led to a new phenomenon of rural development, where
228-523: Is Polokwane , while the provincial legislature is situated in Lebowakgomo . The province is made up of three former homelands of Lebowa , Gazankulu and Venda and part of the former Transvaal province. The Limpopo province was established as one of nine provinces after the 1994 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
266-512: Is Stanley Mathabatha , representing the African National Congress . Limpopo Province is divided into five district municipalities . The district municipalities are in turn divided into 25 local municipalities : Limpopo has a total population of 6.015 million with 1.641 million households. The province has a relatively high Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.710, which is the third highest in South Africa. The bushveld
304-532: Is beef cattle country, where extensive ranching operations are often supplemented by controlled hunting. About 80% of South Africa's game hunting industry is in Limpopo. Sunflowers , cotton , maize and peanuts are cultivated in the Bela-Bela and Modimolle areas. Modimolle is also known for its table grapes . An embryotic wine industry is growing in Limpopo. Tropical fruit, such as bananas , litchis , pineapples , mangoes and pawpaws , as well as
342-590: Is 600–1,150 millimetres (24–45 in), with wet summers and dry winters. The mountains lie on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal Craton . The range is best known for having some of the oldest exposed rocks on Earth, estimated to be between 3.2 and 3.6 billion years (Ga) old, dating from the Paleoarchean . The mountain range's extreme age and exceptional preservation have yielded some of the oldest undisputed signs of life on Earth and provide insight into
380-675: Is joined to the Zimbabwe Craton to the north by the Limpopo Belt . To the south and west, the Kaapvaal Craton is flanked by Proterozoic orogens , and to the east by the Lebombo monocline that contains Jurassic igneous rocks associated with the break-up of Gondwana . The Kaapvaal Craton formed and stabilised between 3.7 and 2.6 Ga by the emplacement of major granitoid batholiths that thickened and stabilised
418-437: 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. Near Modjadjiskloof , at Sunland Baobab farms, there is a large Baobab tree which has been fashioned into a relatively spacious pub. The province has excellent road, rail, and air links. The N1 route from Johannesburg , which extends
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#1732764780656456-546: 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. As of December 2020, 12.9% of the Limpopo population had attained some post-school qualifications. The following higher education institutions are found in Limpopo: The population of Limpopo consists of several ethnic groups distinguished by culture, language, and race. 97.3% of
494-749: The Limpopo Metamorphic Complex. However, younger late- Paleoproterozoic red bed successions contain zircons of this time interval as well as many ~2.0 Ga detrital zircons. This implies that the Limpopo Complex together with the Zimbabwe Craton only became attached to the Kaapvaal Craton at approximately 2.0 Ga during formation of the Magondi Mobile Belt which in turn sourced the voluminous late Paleoproterozoic red beds of southern Africa. Evidence of
532-495: The Makhonjwa Mountains. Swazis and other pastoral peoples probably grazed their livestock there, but not in large numbers, until the arrival of European settlers in the 1860s. Gold was discovered near Kaapsehoop in 1875, but it was the find by George Barber and his cousins Fred and Harry Barber that triggered a gold rush in 1884, leading to the founding of the town of Barberton . It was later overshadowed by
570-712: The Northern Marginal Zone of the Zimbabwe Craton approximately 2.8–2.5 Ga by the 250 kilometres (160 mi) wide orogenic Limpopo Belt. The belt is an east-northeast trending zone of granulite facies tectonites that separates the granitoid-greenstone terranes of the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons. The crustal evolution of the Limpopo Central Zone can be summarised into three main periods: 3.2–2.9 Ga, 2.6 Ga, and 2.0 Ga. The first two periods are characterised by magmatic activity leading to
608-783: The belt. Some of the oldest exposed rocks on Earth (greater than 3.6 Ga) are located in the Barberton greenstone belt of the Eswatini–Barberton areas and these contain some of the oldest traces of life on earth. Only the rocks found in the Isua Greenstone Belt of Western Greenland are older. The Archaean Johannesburg Dome is located in the central part of the Kaapvaal Craton and consists of trondhjemitic and tonalitic granitic rocks intruded into mafic-ultramafic greenstone. Studies using U-Pb single zircon dating for granitoid samples yield an age of 3340 +/- 3 Ma and represents
646-539: The continental crust during the early stages of an arc -related magmatism and sedimentation cycle. The craton is a mixture of early Archean (3.0–3.5 Ga) granite greenstone terranes and older tonalitic gneisses (ca. 3.6–3.7 Ga), intruded by a variety of granitic plutons (3.3–3.0 Ga). Subsequent evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton (3.0–2.7 Ga) is thought to be associated with continent–arc collision that caused an overlaying succession of basins filled with thick sequences of both volcanic and sedimentary rocks. This
684-611: The formation of Archaean Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) such as the Sand River Gneisses and the Bulai Granite intrusion. Early Proterozoic high-grade metamorphic conditions produced partial melting that formed large amounts of granitic melt. There is no indication that the Neoarchean to early Paleoproterozoic succession on the craton were sourced from the 2.65–2.70 Ga orogenic event preserved in
722-671: 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. 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
760-610: The horizontal layering and riverine erosion can be found throughout the Waterberg Massif within the Limpopo Central Zone. The Barberton greenstone belt, also known as the Makhonjwa Mountains , is situated on the eastern edge of Kaapvaal Craton. It is well known for its gold mineralisation and for its Komatiites , an unusual type of ultramafic volcanic rock named after the Komati River that flows through
798-522: The hostile nature of the Precambrian environment under which this life evolved . This has led to the area being otherwise known as the "Genesis of life". The range is also known for its gold deposits and a number of komatiites , an unusual type of ultramafic volcanic rock named after the Komati River that flows through the belt. In April 2014, scientists reported finding evidence of
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#1732764780656836-512: The largest platinum deposit in South Africa. The Waterberg Coalfield , the eastern extension of Botswana 's Mmamabula coalfields, is estimated to contain 40% of South Africa's coal reserves. The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has targeted the province as a preferred eco-tourism destination. Its Environment and Tourism Programme encompasses tourism, protected areas, and community environment development to achieve sustainable economic growth. While Limpopo
874-537: The largest percentage of the population, 52% of the province. The Tsonga people comprise about 24.0% of the province; the Tsonga also comprise about 11.5% of Mpumalanga province since the southern part of their homeland, Gazankulu , was cut off from Limpopo and allocated to Mpumalanga. The Venda 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
912-400: The largest terrestrial meteor impact event to date near the area. They estimated the impact occurred about 3.26 billion years ago and that the impactor was approximately between 37 and 58 kilometers (23 and 36 miles) wide. The crater from this event, if it still exists, has not yet been found. In May 2019, extraterrestrial organic materials in 3.3-billion-year-old volcanic rocks was found at
950-497: The length of the province, is the busiest overland route in Africa in terms of cross-border trade in raw materials and beneficiated goods. The port of Durban , South Africa's busiest, is served directly by the province, as are the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo . Polokwane International Airport is situated just north of Polokwane . Limpopo province contains approximately 56 airports and airstrips. The Department of Education
988-477: The most industrialised metropolis on the continent. The province is central to regional, national, and international developing markets. Limpopo contains much of the Waterberg Biosphere , a massif of approximately 15,000 km (5,800 sq mi) which is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve . The current Premier of Limpopo Province
1026-524: The oldest granitoid phase recognised so far. "Following the trondhjemite-tonalite gneiss emplacement a further period of magmatism took place on the dome, which resulted in the intrusion of mafic dykes that are manifest as hornblende amphibolites. The age of these dykes has yet to be determined quantitatively, but they fall within the time constraints imposed by the age of the trondhjemitic gneisses (3340–3200 Ma) and later, crosscutting, potassic granitoids. These rocks consisting mainly of granodiorites constitute
1064-400: The platinum group metals, iron ore, chromium, high- and middle-grade coking coal , diamonds, antimony , phosphate , and copper, as well as mineral reserves like gold, emeralds, scheelite , magnetite , vermiculite , silicon , and mica . Commodities such as black granite , corundum , and feldspar are also found. Mining contributes to over a fifth of the provincial economy. Limpopo has
1102-414: The population is Black , 2.4% is White , 0.2% is Coloured , and 0.1% is Indian / Asian . The province has the smallest percentage and second smallest total number of White South Africans in the country. However, there are several localities with a White majority, notably Hoedspruit and Modimolle . It also has the highest Black percentage out of all the provinces. The Northern Sotho people comprise
1140-455: 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. The capital and largest city in the province
1178-476: 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 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
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1216-504: The smallest share of White people in Limpopo, about 5,000 total. In contrast, the Waterberg district has the largest share of Whites, with more than 60,000 Whites residing there. Coloureds and Asians / Indians make up a tiny percentage of the province's total population. At 18.5% (2007), Limpopo has a relatively high incidence of HIV compared to other South African provinces. Cases rose from 14.5% to 21.5% between 2001 and 2005, with
1254-402: The third magmatic event and occupy an area of batholithic dimensions extending across most of the southern portion of the dome. The southern and southeastern parts of the batholith consist mainly of medium-grained, homogeneous, grey granodiorites dated at 3121 +/- 5 Ma....The data, combined with that from other parts of the Kaapvaal craton, further supports the view that the evolution of the craton
1292-562: The west and northwest respectively, Zimbabwe 's Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces to the north and northeast respectively, and Mozambique 's Gaza Province to the east. Limpopo is the link between South Africa and countries further afield in sub-Saharan Africa . On its southern edge, from east to west, it shares borders with the South African provinces of Mpumalanga , Gauteng , and North West . Its border with Gauteng includes that province's Johannesburg - Pretoria axis,
1330-621: Was later changed again in 2002 to the Limpopo Province. Limpopo is made up of three main ethnic groups: the Pedi , the Tsonga and the Venda . 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
1368-466: Was long-lived and episodic, and that it grew by accretionary processes, becoming generally younger to the north and west of the ca. 3.5 Ga Barberton- Eswatini granite-greenstone terrane situated in the southeastern part of the craton." Limpopo Limpopo ( / l ɪ m ˈ p oʊ p oʊ / ) is the northernmost province of South Africa . It is named after the Limpopo River , which forms
1406-553: Was named after the Limpopo River by decision of the provincial assembly in 2002, and at the same time most of the cities on its territory were renamed. 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. 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 's Central and Kgatleng districts to
1444-532: Was then followed by episodic extension and rifting when the Gaborone–Kanye and Ventersdorp sequences were developed. Early Archean crust is well exposed only on the east side of the craton and comprises a collage of subdomains and crustal blocks characterised by distinctive igneous rocks and deformations. Late Archean metamorphism joined the Southern Marginal Zone of the Kaapvaal Craton to
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