What You Need To Know
Upington is a town founded in 1884 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olyfenhoudtsdrif (‘Olive wood drift’), due to the abundance of olive wood trees in the area, but later renamed after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General and then Prime Minister of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established in 1875 and run by Reverend Christiaan Schröder. The mission station now houses the town museum, known as the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also the home of a donkey statue, which recognises the enormous contribution that this animal made to the development of the region during the pioneering days of the 19th century.
The elevation of Upington is 2742 feet (835 metres). It is the closest large centre to the Augrabies Falls (arguably the greatest of South African waterfalls) and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The landscape is very arid but the soil is fertile and crops such as fruit are grown in irrigated fields. The area is best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins and wines, which are cultivated on the rich flood plains of the Orange river.
Population: 74,834(2011)
Area: 224.2 mi²
Currency
Currency of Upington. The currency used in South Africa is the rand (R), with 100 cents making up one rand. Notes are available in R10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 while coins come in denominations of 1, 2, and 5 rand as well as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. The best exchange rates are available from banks.
All major Mastercards, VISA, and American Express cards are accepted.
Climate
Upington is located on the northern banks of the Orange River and is surrounded by irrigated vineyards.[8] The hottest month of the year is January, with average daily temperatures swinging from 36 °C (97 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F), while in the coolest month of July temperatures range between 21 °C (70 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F). Also the driest month of the year, July sees an average rainfall of only 2 millimetres (0.079 in), while the wettest month of March sees 37 millimetres (1.5 in). Upington has been noted as being the sunniest location on the planet for three months of the year, from November through January.
Language
Afrikaans, Xhosa Tswana, English Other
Transport
Upington has a modern airport with scheduled flights provided by SA Airlink (an affiliate of South African Airways). One of the airport’s runways is 4900m in length.
Shopping
Shopping in Upington is characterised by High Street shopping, with most of stores located along the Scott, Schroder, Nelson Mandela and Mark streets. Upington has a mall, which is the area’s first super regional mall. The mall is anchored by Game, Checkers, Spar, Woolworths, Tiger Wheel & Tyre and other clothing stores, banks and restaurants. It is located at the corner of Random van Riebeck and Malharbe streets.
