How South Africa’s biggest cities have changed over the past 70 years

·9 Nov 2017

South Africa has many old cities that have gone through some massive changes over the past few decades.

Notably, the country’s oldest cities are also some of its biggest, not only in their respective regions, but also in the country as a whole.

The pictures below show how these South African cities have changed over the last few decades, using Google Earth’s 3D mapping technology to replicate the same frames as archived images of the city.

For a look at how some specific cities have changed over the past few decades, be sure to check out:

The pictures below were taken from various archives, and capture South Africa’s major cities from around the 1940s. Models of the cities as they are today are taken from Google Earth.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg’s history stretches back some 130 years, having been formally established by the Boer government in 1886 after gold was discovered along the Witwatersrand reef. Today, the greater Johannesburg area is home to millions, making it the biggest city in country.

Cape Town

Established as part of a vital trading route between Europe and the west in the 17th century, Cape Town would become the first place Europeans settled in South Africa, and was developed largely by Dutch colonists. Today, it is the second most populous city in the country, after Johannesburg.

Pretoria

Pretoria is one of South Africa’s oldest cities, serving as the executive seat of government. The city was founded in 1855 by Voortrekker leader Marthinus Pretorius, who named it after his father. It is the fourth biggest city in the country.

Durban

Durban is the third largest city in South Africa, and is also one of the oldest. It dates back to 1824 when colonists from the Cape Colony established a settlement that would ultimately become the Durban we know today.

Beyond South Africa’s ‘big four’ metro areas, there are other cities of some prominence. Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape are two of the most populous areas in the province, while Kimberley in the Northern Cape carries its legacy in diamonds.

European explorers first visited what would become PE as early as 1488, while Kimberley became the site of diamond discoveries in 1866. East London was founded even earlier in 1836.

Port Elizabeth