 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Paternoster | |
|---|---|
 The fisherman's village of Paternoster | |
  Paternoster  Paternoster | |
| Coordinates: 32°49′S 17°53′E / 32.817°S 17.883°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| District | West Coast |
| Municipality | Saldanha Bay |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.49 km2 (0.96 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,971 |
| • Density | 790/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 16.0% |
| • Coloured | 71.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.3% |
| • White | 11.6% |
| • Other | 0.6% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 82.6% |
| • Xhosa | 9.1% |
| • English | 5.7% |
| • Sign language | 1.0% |
| • Other | 1.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 7381 |
| PO box | — |
| Area code | 022 |
Paternoster (pronounced /ˌpɑːtɜːrˈnɒstɜːr/) is one of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast of South Africa. It is situated 15 km north-west of Vredenburg[2] and 145 km north of Cape Town, at Cape Columbine between Saldanha Bay and St Helena Bay. The town covers an area of 194.8 hectare and has approximately 1883 inhabitants.
The origin of the name remains unknown. Many people believe that the name, which means ‘Our Father’ in Latin, refers to prayers said by Catholic Portuguese seamen when they became shipwrecked.[3] It appears as St. Martins Paternoster on an old map of Pieter Mortier so the name may be derived from Paternoster Row in the City of London which is adjacent to St. Martins Court.[4] Other people believe it refers to the beads that the Khoi tribe wore that were called Paternosters.[5]
- ^ a b c d "Main Place Paternoster". Census 2011.
- ^ "Route27(Public Domain)".
- ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 360.
- ^ Botha, Colin Graham (1926). Place names in the Cape Province.
- ^ "Wide Blue(Public Domain)". Archived from the original on 2013-04-12.