Mier Local Municipality

Mier
—  Local municipality  —
Location in the Northern Cape
Coordinates: 26°44′S 20°16′E / 26.733°S 20.267°E / -26.733; 20.267Coordinates: 26°44′S 20°16′E / 26.733°S 20.267°E / -26.733; 20.267
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Siyanda District
Seat	Mier
Area
- Total	11,730 km2 (4,529 sq mi)
Population (2007)[1]
- Total	7,337
- Density	0.6/km2 (1.6/sq mi)
- Households	1,705
Racial makeup[2] (2007)
- Black African	1.26%
- White	1.64%
- Coloured	97.11%
- Indian or Asian	0.00%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code	NC081

Mier is an administrative area in the Siyanda District of Northern Cape in South Africa. The municipality is adjacent to one of the world's largest conservation areas, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Mier is also the municipal district in South Africa with the highest percentage (99.06%) of Afrikaans speakers.

The name Mier is an Afrikaans word that originates from the word "mere" which means "lakes". When German missionaries visited the area a long time ago, they found the pans in the area full of water. They called them "mere". As language changed, the people later pronounced it as "mier".^[3]

References

1. ^ "Community Survey, 2007: Basic Results Municipalities" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. http://www.statssa.gov.za/Publications/P03011/P030112007.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
2. ^ "Community Survey 2007 interactive data". Statistics South Africa. http://www.statssa.gov.za/community_new/content.asp?link=interactivedata.asp. Retrieved 19 October 2009. 
3. ^ South African Languages - Place names