Tsomo is a town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is 45 km east of Qamata and 48 km west of Ndabakazi.
Tsomo | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 32°02′17″S 27°49′01″E / 32.03794°S 27.81689°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Eastern Cape |
District | Chris Hani |
Municipality | Intsika Yethu |
Established | 1877 |
Area | |
• Total | 3.72 km2 (1.44 sq mi) |
Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 2,108 |
• Density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 94.8% |
• Coloured | 2.1% |
• Indian/Asian | 1.7% |
• White | 1.3% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Xhosa | 88.7% |
• English | 3.1% |
• Afrikaans | 1.1% |
• Other | 7.0% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
PO box | 5400 |
Area code | 047 |
History
editFounded in 1877, it originated as a military station known as Tsomo Post.[2] The name is derived from that of the Tsomo River, on which it is situated, which in turn is said to be named after a Xhosa chief who lived where the bridge now stands.[2]
Tsomo was originally included in the Transkei territory of Fingoland (Mfenguland) however after the annexation by the British Fingoland was further divided into Butterworth, Tsomo and Nqamakwe.[3]
Notable people
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Main Place Tsomo". Census 2011.
- ^ a b Erasmus, B. P. J. (1995). On Route in South Africa. Internet Archive. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-86842-026-1.
- ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 439.