Riebeek West

Riebeek West
Riebeek-Wes

Riebeek West
Riebeek West
Riebeek West
Riebeek West

 Riebeek West shown within Western Cape

Coordinates: 33°21′1.69″S 18°52′2.52″E / 33.3504694°S 18.8673667°E / -33.3504694; 18.8673667Coordinates: 33°21′1.69″S 18°52′2.52″E / 33.3504694°S 18.8673667°E / -33.3504694; 18.8673667
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District West Coast
Municipality Swartland
Established 1858
Area[1]
 • Total 3.43 km2 (1.32 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 4,350
 • Density 1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 5.1%
 • Coloured 83.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.6%
 • White 10.5%
 • Other 0.2%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • Afrikaans 93.6%
 • English 4.2%
 • Other 2.3%
Postal code (street) 7306
PO box 7306
Area code 022

Riebeek West (Afrikaans: Riebeek-Wes) is a small town situated 5 km from Riebeek Kasteel and about 75 km north-east of Cape Town in the Swartland area of the Western Cape, South Africa.

The Dutch Reformed church at Riebeek West
The hall of the Dutch Reformed church at Riebeek West

Village some 50 km north-north-west of Paarl and 61 km south-south-west of Piketberg. It was established as a parish of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1858 and named after Riebeek-Kasteel, at the foot of which it is situated. It was the birthplace of General Jan Christiaan Smuts, former Prime Minister of South Africa. The form Riebeek-Wes is preferred for official purposes.[2]

The Riebeek Valley is known for its wheat, wines and more recently olives. The area of Riebeek West was first seen by Cape Dutch scouts in the late 17th century. The first settlers arrived in the area in the early 18th century.

Today the population of Riebeek West is about 4,000 people; on the west side of the main road (Voortrekker Road) is mainly white people, on the east side it is mainly coloured people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Riebeek West". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 386.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.