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.
Reference(s)
- Raper PE. 2004. New dictionary of South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers.
- http://www.wikipedia.org
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Key Statistics 2011
| Total population | 223,448 |
| Young (0-14) | 23,7% |
| Working Age (15-64) | 70,8% |
| Elderly (65+) | 5,5% |
| Dependency ratio | 41,1 |
| Sex ratio | 92,2 |
| Population density | 1771 persons/km2 |
| No schooling aged 20+ | 3,2% |
| Higher education aged 20+ | 21,2% |
| Matric aged 20+ | 33,8% |
| Number of households | 69,731 |
| Average household size | 3 |
| Female headed households | 42,7% |
| Formal dwellings | 82,9% |
| Housing owned/paying off | 50,8% |
| Flush toilet connected to sewerage | 73,1% |
| Weekly refuse removal | 72,1% |
| Piped water inside dwelling | 62,9% |
| Electricity for lighting | 88,9% |