Johannesburg

== Geography ==
=== Topography ===
[[File:Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa (4690804881).jpg|thumb|[[Satellite image]] of Johannesburg]]
[[File:JohannesburgGP-Aerial.jpg|thumb|January 2008 Johannesburg aerial view looking towards the south-east]]
Johannesburg is located in the eastern plateau area of South Africa known as the [[Highveld]], at an elevation of {{convert|1753|m|ft}}. The former [[Central Business District]] is located on the southern side of the prominent ridge called the [[Witwatersrand]] (English: White Water's Ridge) and the terrain falls to the north and south. By and large the Witwatersrand marks the watershed between the [[Limpopo River|Limpopo]] and [[Vaal River|Vaal]] rivers as the northern part of the city is drained by the [[Jukskei River]] while the southern part of the city, including most of the Central Business District, is drained by the [[Klip River]]. The north and west of the city has undulating hills while the eastern parts are flatter.

Johannesburg may not be built on a river or harbour, but its streams contribute to two of southern Africa's mightiest rivers, the [[Limpopo River|Limpopo]] and the [[Orange River|Orange]]. Most of the springs from which many of these streams emanate are now covered in concrete and canalised, accounting for the fact that the names of early farms in the area often end with "fontein", meaning "spring" in Afrikaans. Braamfontein, Rietfontein, Zevenfontein, Doornfontein, Zandfontein and Randjesfontein are some examples. When the first white settlers reached the area that is now Johannesburg, they noticed the glistening rocks on the ridges, running with trickles of water, fed by the streams—giving the area its name, the Witwatersrand, "the ridge of white waters". Another explanation is that the whiteness comes from the quartzite rock, which has a particular sheen to it after rain.<ref>Lucille Davie ''Water, water every day'' www.joburg.org.za, 24 December 2004.</ref>

The site was not chosen for its streams, however. The main reasons the city was founded where it stands today was because of the gold. Indeed, the city once sat near massive amounts of gold, given that at one point the Witwatersrand gold industry produced forty per cent of the planet's gold.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Johannesburg-South-Africa |title=Johannesburg |last=Campbell |first=James T. |date=19 August 2015 |website=Britannica.com |access-date=8 November 2016 |archive-date=9 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109090744/https://www.britannica.com/place/Johannesburg-South-Africa |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Parks and gardens ===
{{Main|Johannesburg City Parks}}
[[File:South-Africa Johannesburg Botanical Garden-002 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Johannesburg Botanical Garden]]]]
Parks and gardens in Johannesburg are maintained by [[Johannesburg City Parks|Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo]].<ref name="cityparks-whoweare">{{cite web |url=http://www.jhbcityparks.com/index.php/whoweare |title=Custodians of Joburg's green heritage |publisher=Johannesburg City Parks |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-date=20 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320045003/http://www.jhbcityparks.com/index.php/whoweare |url-status=dead}}</ref> City Parks is also responsible for planting the city's many green trees, making Johannesburg one of the 'greenest' cities in the world. It has been estimated that there are six million trees in the city with the number growing every year—1.2&nbsp;million on pavements and sidewalks, and a further 4.8&nbsp;million in private gardens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southafrica.info/what_happening/conf_expo/world_summit/urbanforest.htm |title=South Africa's official gateway – investment, travel, country information |access-date=25 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064143/http://www.southafrica.info/what_happening/conf_expo/world_summit/urbanforest.htm |archive-date=3 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> City Parks continues to invest in planting trees, particularly those previously disadvantaged areas of Johannesburg which were not positive beneficiaries of apartheid Johannesburg's urban planning. [[Johannesburg Botanical Garden]], located in the suburb of [[Emmarentia, Gauteng|Emmarentia]], is a popular recreational park.

Johannesburg and environs also offer various options to visitors wishing to view [[wildlife]], in addition to the [[Johannesburg Zoo]], one of the largest in South Africa. The [[Lion Park]] nature reserve, next to [[Lesedi Cultural Village]], is home to over 80 lions and various other game, while the [[Krugersdorp Nature Reserve]], a 1500 [[Hectare|ha]] [[game reserve]], is a forty-minute drive from the city centre. The De Wildt Cheetah Centre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dewildt.co.za/ |title=The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre – De Wildt |access-date=25 May 2015 |archive-date=19 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319224331/https://dewildt.co.za/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in the [[Magaliesberg]] runs a successful breeding program for [[cheetah]], [[African wild dog|wild dog]] and other [[endangered species]]. The Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rhinolion.co.za/newsite/default.asp |title=The Nearest Faraway Place – Johannesburg, South Africa |website=rhinolion.co.za |access-date=15 January 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122121501/http://www.rhinolion.co.za/newsite/default.asp |archive-date=22 November 2012}}</ref> situated in the "Cradle of Humankind" on 1200 ha of "the typical [[highveld]] of Gauteng" also runs a breeding programme for endangered species including Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers and the extremely rare [[white lion]].{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} To the south, {{convert|11|km|abbr=off}} from the city centre, is the [[Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve]] home to large mammals and hiking trails. Separating Lenasia and the Soweto suburbs is the [[Olifantsvlei Nature Reserve]] protected area.

=== Climate ===
[[File:A Johannesburg Summers Day.jpg|thumb|left|An aerial photograph of summer rain clouds over Johannesburg. The city's climate experiences regular daily thunderstorms from November to March in the afternoons.]]
Johannesburg is situated on the highveld plateau, and has a [[oceanic climate|subtropical highland climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cwb''). The city enjoys a sunny climate, with the summer months (October to April) characterised by hot days followed by afternoon thundershowers and cool evenings, and the winter months (May to September) by dry, sunny days followed by cold nights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.safarinow.com/cms/johannesburg-gauteng/irie.aspx |title=Johannesburg & Gauteng Weather and Climate |publisher=Safarinow.com |access-date=14 April 2013 |archive-date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522144627/http://www.safarinow.com/cms/johannesburg-gauteng/irie.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild due to the city's high elevation, with an average maximum daytime temperature in January of {{convert|25.6|C}}, dropping to an average maximum of around {{convert|16|C}} in June. The [[UV index]] for Johannesburg in summers is extreme, often reaching 14–16 due to the high elevation and its location in the subtropics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uvawareness.com/uv-index/uv-index.php?location=johannesburg |title=UV index of Johannesburg |publisher=uvawareness |access-date=13 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222081241/http://www.uvawareness.com/uv-index/uv-index.php?location=johannesburg |archive-date=22 December 2015}}</ref>

Winter is the sunniest time of the year, with mild days and cool nights, dropping to {{convert|4.1|C|1}} in June and July. The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing [[frost]]. Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in the twentieth century during May 1956, August 1962, June 1964 and September 1981. In the 21st century, there was light sleet in 2006, as well as snow proper on 27 June 2007 (accumulating up to {{convert|10|cm|0|disp=or}} in the southern suburbs),<ref>{{cite web |author=SABCnews.com |title=Joburg covered by snow as temperature drops |url=http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,151555,00.html |access-date=16 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629130254/http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0%2C2172%2C151555%2C00.html |archive-date=29 June 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 7 August 2012,<ref>{{cite news |last=Bauer |first=Nickolaus |date=7 August 2012 |title=Snow in the city delights Jo'burg residents |newspaper=Mail & Guardian |url=http://mg.co.za/article/2012-08-07-snow-in-joburg |access-date=7 August 2012 |archive-date=9 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809062941/http://mg.co.za/article/2012-08-07-snow-in-joburg |url-status=live }}</ref> and 10 July 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kitongo |first=Gertrude |date=2023-07-11 |title=South Africans abuzz after first snowfall in over a decade |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/africa/johannesburg-rare-snow-fall-spc-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727224524/https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/africa/johannesburg-rare-snow-fall-spc-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Regular cold fronts pass over in winter bringing very cold southerly winds but usually clear skies. The annual average rainfall is {{convert|713|mm|1}}, which is mostly concentrated in the summer months. Infrequent showers occur through the course of the winter months. The lowest nighttime minimum temperature ever recorded in Johannesburg is {{convert|-8.2|C|1}}, on 13 June 1979. The lowest daytime maximum temperature recorded is {{convert|1.5|C|1}}, on 19 June 1964.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://old.weathersa.co.za/Pressroom/2009/Its_cold_in_Gauteng.jsp |title=Johannesburg temperature records |publisher=[[South African Weather Service]] |access-date=8 April 2012}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{{Johannesburg weatherbox}}