Main Place

Pietermaritzburg

Quick Fact ......
  • 223,448

  • 69,731

  • 21,2%

  • 62,9%

  • 88,9%

  • 73,1%

Pietermaritzburg is a name derived from the leaders of the Cape Voortrekkers, Piet Retief and Gert Maritz. Founded in 1838, the town served as the capital of the short-lived Boer republic, Natalia, which Britain overtook in 1843. The town is famous as the place where, in 1893, Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off the train to Pretoria, after refusing to move from his first-class seat after a white man objected to his presence there. The town is also famous as the starting (or ending) point of the very popular Comrades Marathon. (GPS coordinates: 29.6133 S, 30.3832 E).

Character(s) left.
  • Raper PE. 2004. New dictionary of South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers.
  • http://www.wikipedia.org

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Key Statistics 2011

Characteristics
Total population223,448
Young (0-14)23,7%
Working Age (15-64)70,8%
Elderly (65+)5,5%
Dependency ratio41,1
Sex ratio92,2
Population density1771 persons/km2
No schooling aged 20+3,2%
Higher education aged 20+21,2%
Matric aged 20+33,8%
Number of households69,731
Average household size3
Female headed households42,7%
Formal dwellings82,9%
Housing owned/paying off50,8%
Flush toilet connected to sewerage73,1%
Weekly refuse removal72,1%
Piped water inside dwelling62,9%
Electricity for lighting88,9%

Place names

Msunduzi Municipality