Douglas, South Africa

Douglas
Douglas suburbia
Douglas Douglas
Coordinates: 29°03′S 23°46′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Pixley ka Seme
Municipality	Siyancuma
Area
• Total	86.42 km2 (33.37 sq mi)
Elevation	990 m (3,250 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	20,083
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	32.1%
• Coloured	58.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.8%
• White	8.0%
• Other	0.9%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	93.1%
• Tswana	2.3%
• English	1.5%
• Other	3.1%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	8730
PO box	8730
Area code	053

Douglas is an agricultural and stock farming town situated near the confluence of the Orange and Vaal Rivers in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Notably the rural town has a diverse population, with mostly state institutions and the anchor private employer, GWK, an agricultural company.

Location

Douglas lies about 100 km southwest of Kimberley the capital of the Northern Cape. These two are connected by the R357 road.

History

The town was founded in 1848 as a mission station on the farm Backhouse by the Reverend Isaac Hughes, who had been working along the Vaal River since 1845. In 1867, a group of Europeans from Griquatown signed an agreement giving them the right to establish a town. The town was named after General Sir Percy Douglas, Lieutenant Governor of the Cape Colony.

Notable people from Douglas

• Ingrid Jonker, poet
• Hannes Nienaber, journalist