Middelburg, Eastern Cape

Middelburg is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in the Great Karoo. It lies in the Upper Karoo, 1 279 m above sea level, with a population of 19,000. It falls under the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, in the Chris Hani District Municipality.

History

In 1837 the Cape Colony government proclaimed the district of Colesberg, and established the Town of Middelburg in 1852, so named since it is midway between Graaff-Reinet and Colesberg. (It is also approximately halfway between Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein, as well as between Johannesburg and Cape Town.)

The town and surrounding areas are rich in history from the Anglo Boer War. The adjacent Grootfontein College of Agriculture was originally established as a military camp and training centre for British troops. About 7 000 troops from the Third Manchester Regiment were stationed at Grootfontein - some of them were married, so about 3 000 women and children also lived at Grootfontein. In 1910 the Union of South Africa took control of the farm after which the Grootfontein School of Agriculture was established in 1911. Today the college offers a two year Certificate in Agriculture and a three year Diploma in Agriculture, both accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee.

Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province. Landing place and home of the 1820 settlers, the central and eastern part of the province is the traditional home of the Xhosa people. This region is the birthplace of many prominent South African politicians, such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, Chris Hani, Thabo Mbeki, Steve Biko, Bantu Holomisa and Charles Coghlan.

History

The Eastern Cape as a South African Province came into existence in 1994 and incorporated areas from the former Xhosa homelands of the Transkei and Ciskei, together with what was previously part of the Cape Province. This resulted in several anomalies including the fact that the Province has four supreme courts (in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Bhisho and Mthatha) and enclaves of KwaZulu-Natal in the province. The latter anomaly has fallen away with amendments to municipal and provincial boundaries.The province is also made of Mpondo clan, which primitively descended from Xhosa clan. Some of the Mpondo clan went to this province when they were running away from King Shaka's war. Mpondo people are more closely related to Xhosa, as they use Xhosa as their main home language.

Middelburg

Middelburg (Dutch: [ˈmɪdəlˌbʏrx]) is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. Situated on the central peninsula of the Zeeland province, Midden-Zeeland (consisting of former islands Walcheren, Noord-Beveland and Zuid-Beveland), it has a population of about 48,000.

History

The city of Middelburg dates back possibly to the late 8th century or early 9th century. The first mention of Middelburg was as one of three fortified towns (i.e., borgs) erected on Walcheren (then an island) to guard against Viking raids. In 844 a monastery was built on the site, which remained an active Catholic foundation until the Reformation. Foundations for Middelburg's "stately and picturesque" cathedral (one of only two pre-Reformation cathedrals in The Netherlands, along with St. Martin's in Utrecht) were first laid in the 10th century; additional construction continued through the Middle Ages.

Middelburg was granted city rights in 1217. During the Middle Ages, it became an important trading centre in the commerce between England and the rising cities of Flanders. The town continued to gain in power and prestige during the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Eighty Years' War, Middelburg was captured from the Spanish forces during a long siege. The northern provinces of the original Low Countries won their independence from their former Spanish Habsburg rulers and formed The Netherlands, a Protestant state. Later, in the 17th century (the Dutch Golden Age), Middelburg became, after Amsterdam, the most important center for the East India Company of Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (VOC) or Dutch East India Company.

Middelburg (disambiguation)

Middelburg is the capital city of the province of Zeeland, Netherlands.

Middelburg may also refer to:

Places

People with the surname

See also

Middelburg, South Holland

Middelburg is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 2 km west of Waddinxveen, in the former municipality of Reeuwijk.

The statistical area "Middelburg", which also includes parts of the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 260.

Middelburg was a separate municipality from 1817 to 1855, when it became part of Reeuwijk.

References

External links