Interesting Facts about North West Province, South Africa

Here are some interesting facts about North West Province, South Africa, which you may not know… yet! Impress your friends and family as you share these great details.

Land Area of the North West Province

The North West region takes up about 9% of the total land area in South Africa. It is about 1% larger than KwaZulu-Natal, which is just a bit bigger than Mpumalanga. Much larger than North West, however, is Northern Cape at 30.5% of the total land area.

Population Facts                               

As for the population of the North West Province, South Africa, it is currently at about 3.5 million. Interestingly, while North West has a smaller land area than Northern Cape, it has a larger population; Northern Cape’s population is just over 1 million. The people of North West mainly speak the Setswana language (more than half), including in its capital city of Mahikeng.

World Heritage Sites in North West

The North West Province is home to two of the eight UNESCO World Heritage sites in South Africa. These two places are the Taung Skull Fossil Site and the Vredefort Dome. The Taung fossil hominid site is where the Taung Skull was found in 1924. There have been fossils found there that extend back as far as 4.5 million years. The Vredefort Dome is the oldest meteorite impact structure on Earth, estimated to date back over 2 million years ago.

Other Fun Facts

In addition, the North West Province, South Africa, is known as the Platinum Province because of its abundance of platinum. Most of the platinum around the world comes from North West’s Merensky Reef. Platinum is a popular choice for jewellery.

A popular tourist location in the North West is the Magaliesberg Mountains and Ukutula Lodge. The area is rich in nature, with valleys, cliffs and waterfalls throughout it. As well, it is a natural habitat for hyenas, leopards, and Cape vultures. 

As you can see from the above details, there is much to fascinate locals and tourists in South Africa’s North West Province!

Who is Kathleen Reeder?

Kathleen Reeder is an American award winning wildlife photographer. She is recognized internationally for her amazing work and also as a well established instructor. She is also an author of various wildlife chronicles which she experienced firsthand. Her work depicts and imitates her passion for wildlife and also her love for adventure. She is an energetic, full of life woman with a mission. Through her lens, she has been able to reflect the glory of wildlife and developed them through pictures and photos. Wildlife photography requires skill and a darning mind or soul for the adventure. Kathleen Reeder has all this to emerge as an accomplished professional photographer. Her wish to share knowledge and her skill has led her to be one of the most sought after instructors of photography in USA.

Kathleen Reeder’s work has appeared on various channels on TV, magazines and also on internet websites. Publications that have presented her commendable work include National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, The Sun, Daily Telegraph News, Fish Wildlife Views etc.

Kathleen tells how taking photographs of family and friends since childhood has grown into a profession and skill that gained her international success. She claims her obsession for wildlife photography which has accelerated her since she the beginning. She says observing wildlife, getting to know their natural tendencies and capturing their exquisiteness through a fluid photography is her passion.

"Photographing wildlife is one of the most rewarding areas of photography.  It touches our emotions, is dynamic and fast moving, and when we feel the connection, it changes peoples' lives! As your  professional wildlife instructor, I promise to bring you opportunities for being near and connected to a variety of wildlife, to maximize the number of wildlife photo opportunities in the limited time we're together, to prepare you in advance so you know what to expect, and to be your co-pilot and a friend as you capture the essence of those special moments with your camera". - Kathleen Reeder