Paternoster, South Africa

Paternoster
The fisherman's village of Paternoster
The fisherman's village of Paternoster
Paternoster is located in Western Cape
Paternoster
Paternoster
Paternoster is located in South Africa
Paternoster
Paternoster
Coordinates: 32°49′S 17°53′E / 32.817°S 17.883°E / -32.817; 17.883
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictWest Coast
MunicipalitySaldanha Bay
Area
 • Total2.49 km2 (0.96 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total1,971
 • Density790/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African16.0%
 • Coloured71.5%
 • Indian/Asian0.3%
 • White11.6%
 • Other0.6%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans82.6%
 • Xhosa9.1%
 • English5.7%
 • Sign language1.0%
 • Other1.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7381
PO box
Area code022
Fisherman selling his catch of the day at the beach of Paternoster

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]

  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Paternoster". Census 2011.
  2. ^ "Route27(Public Domain)".
  3. ^ "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 360.
  4. ^ Botha, Colin Graham (1926). Place names in the Cape Province.
  5. ^ "Wide Blue(Public Domain)". Archived from the original on 2013-04-12.