De Aar, Northern Cape

De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape, South Africa. It has a population of around 27,000 (1996 figures ref|pop).

The name means "the artery", a reference to its underground water supply. It is the second-most important railway junction in the country ref|rail, situated on the line between Cape Town and Kimberley. The junction was of particular strategic importance to the British during the Second Boer War. The area surrounding the town is popular for hunting, despite the fact that the region is rather arid.

Notable landmarks

There are ancient Khoisan rock engravings on the Nooitgedacht and Brandfontein farms. Additionally, there is a "Garden of Remembrance", which honours the British troops killed in the Anglo-Boer War. The town is also home to a major military ammunition dump. The DoD Ammunition Sub Depot De Aar is located about 2km west of the town.De Aar is famous amongst Paragliding & Hanggliding pilots, worldwide as it holds 2 World records & many countries National distance records. De Aar is also the host to the XC World Series 2008 & 2009

Famous people

Olive Schreiner, the feminist author, lived in De Aar for a while, although her house has now been converted into a restaurant.

ee also

*The South African Wine Initiative

Notes

# As given by citypopulation.de
# places.co.za

References

* [http://www.citypopulation.de/SouthAfrica-UA.html#Stadt_alpha citypopulation.de] - Populations in urban areas in South Africa.
* [http://www.places.co.za/html/de_aar.html places.co.za] - De Aar
* [http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/deaar/newpage13.htm angelfire.com] - About De Aar