Mpumalanga

Province of the Republic of South Africa from 1994, formerly part of Transvaal province; area 81,816 sq km/31,589 sq mi; population (2000 est) 3,004,900. The capital is Nelspruit. Features of the province include Limpopo River, Vaal River, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, and Mpumalanga Drakensberg Mountains. Mineral resources include asbestos, copper, iron ore, manganese, platinum, chromium, and coal and attractions such as the Kruger National Park and other game reserves have helped the development of a major tourist industry. However, the economy is mainly based on agriculture, with the focus on beef cattle and wool production from merino sheep in the drier western plateaux and on the cultivation of maize, wheat, groundnuts, cotton, and potatoes in the wetter east. Fruit production, including oranges and mangoes, is important in the subtropical Lowveld area bordering Mozambique, and forestry is significant in the Drakensberg mountains.

The territory of the province includes the previous black homelands of Kangwane and Kwandebele. Languages spoken in the province are Siswati, Zulu, and Afrikaans.