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Attractions |
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Upington is a holiday destination with all the amenities required for the many tourists who stay or travel through it, as well as an agricultural hub for one of the most intensive sultana grape farming areas in the country. The economy of Upington relies heavily on agriculture, tourism and the services industry and many large South African companies dealing with wine, table grapes, dried fruit and livestock farming have their head offices in the town. |
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Climate |
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Upington is generally accepted as the hottest town in South Africa, with summer temperatures varying between 30°C and 40°C. Winter temperatures during the day usually reach around 25°C, while the night temperatures, although averaging between 4°C and 10°C can drop to 0°C or below. The climate is generally dry; however, in summer, due to the town being situated on the banks of the Orange River, varying levels of humidity have been recorded. The annual average rainfall is less than 200 mm. |
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Location |
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Upington is situated on the banks of the Orange River in the Southern- or Green Kalahari, which forms part of the 900.000 square kilometers Kalahari Desert and is centrally located on the Namaqua Route between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Namibia |
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History |
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The town was named after Sir Thomas Upington, Attorney-General of the Cape. It originated as a mission station established by Reverend Schröder in 1873. The original mission station now houses the town museum, known as the Kalahari Orange Museum.
The first printed reference to the people who inhabited the Southern Kalahari Region appeared in the Journal of Rev. Edward Terry in 1615. In 1822 J. Campbell described the Korana as lazy beings who only hunted, slept and danced. In the mornings, he said, they slept very late, smoked for a while and then crawled to the nearest shade to sleep some more. These nomadic Khoikhoi tribes were known as the Kora or Korana.
Modern day Upington traces its history back to the mid-18th century days when the ill-defined and poorly protected northern reaches of the Cape Colony were the stamping-ground of cattle rustlers, gun-runners, river pirates and outlaws of all kinds. From a stronghold near Upington, the fierce Korana Chiefs rustled cattle from all over the region, ranging from Calvinia to present-day Namibia.
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