Pretoria

Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, lies about  55 kilometers north-northeast of Johannesburg in the northern part of South Africa. The city lies at an altitude of circa. 1,339 meters above sea level, in a warm, fertile and protected valley close to the Magaliesberg mountains.

The city was founded in 1855 during the Boer’s great Trek, and named after one of the leaders of the voortrekkers, Andries Pretorius. In 1860 it became the capital of the Transvaal and in 1910 of South Africa. The country officially has two other capital cities, Bloemfontein, the judicial capital and Cape Town, the legislative capital. In 2000 the administrative capital was changed to include a larger area. The name Tshwane was given to the new capital, to distance it from the name Pretoria, because of its associations with the colonial period and the apartheid regime. However the name Pretoria is still used to refer to the old city center.

Even though winters here are generally mild, it can get really cold because of the clear skies. Over recent years the lowest night-time temperatures have been in the range between 2 to -5 °C. The average annual temperature is 18.7 °C.

If you are thinking of visiting Pretoria, there are many places of interest that are worth visiting including Kruger House and Transvaal museums. The city has many other impressive old buildings and distinctive architectural features.