Witwatersrand

Witwatersrand
/wit"waw'teuhrz rand', -wot'euhrz-/, n.
a rocky ridge in S Africa, in the Republic of South Africa, near Johannesburg. Also called The Rand.

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▪ mountain ridge, South Africa
also called  The Rand  

      ridge of gold-bearing rock mostly in Gauteng province, South Africa. Its name means “Ridge of White Waters.” The highland, which forms the watershed between the Vaal and Limpopo rivers, is about 62 miles (100 km) long and 23 miles (37 km) wide; its average elevation is about 5,600 feet (1,700 metres). Its rich gold deposits, occurring in conglomerate beds known as reefs, were discovered in 1886. A heavy in-migration of miners followed, and the city of Johannesburg grew near the centre of the Witwatersrand. The tailing dumps of the gold mines stretch the entire length of the ridge, and chains of lakes created by water pumped from the mines occupy adjoining valleys.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Witwatersrand — (auch Rand), Höhenzug in Transvaal (s. d.), der, etwa 300 km lang, sich wenig über das innere, 1200 m hohe Plateau erhebt. An seinem südlichen Fuß liegt Krügersdorp (s. d.). Gold wurde 1885 in jüngern, devonkarbonischen Schichten der Kapformation …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Witwatersrand — ou en abrégé, Rand alignement de collines de la république d Afrique du Sud (Gauteng), entre 1 500 et 1 800 m d altitude. Complexe industriel situé sur le plus grand gisement aurifère du monde et dominé par la ville de Johannesburg. Plus de 6… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Witwatersrand — [wit wôt′ərz rand΄] region in South Africa, between the Vaal River & Johannesburg, consisting of ranges of hills that contain rich gold fields …   English World dictionary

  • Witwatersrand — p1p3p5 Witwatersrand Wasserfall in den Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Witwatersrand — The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700 1800 metres above sea level, which runs in an east west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means the ridge of white waters .… …   Wikipedia

  • Witwatersrand — El Witwatersrand (< afrikáans, sierra de aguas blancas ) es una sierra baja que atraviesa la provincia de Gauteng, en Sudáfrica. Forma una divisoria continental de aguas que se escurren del norte al Océano Índico y del sur al Atlántico. Tiene… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Witwatersrand — 26°12′13″S 28°2′43″E / 26.20361, 28.04528 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Witwatersrand — Witwatersrạnd,   Höhenzug in der Provinz Gauteng, Republik Südafrika, etwa 80 km lang, bis 1 748 m über dem Meeresspiegel; überragt mit steilem Nord und sanfterem Südabfall die Umgebung bis etwa 300 m und bildet die Wasserscheide zwischen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Witwatersrand —  South African region in which Johannesburg is located. The university commonly known as Wits University is formally University of the Witwatersrand (note the) …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Witwatersrand Rifles Regiment — Infobox Military Unit unit name=Witwatersrand Rifles caption= dates=1 May 1903 country=South Africa allegiance= branch=Army type=Infantry role=Mechanised infantry size=One battalion command structure=Army Conventional Reserve current commander=Lt …   Wikipedia

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