Laingsburg, South Africa

Laingsburg
A view of Laingsburg
A view of Laingsburg
Laingsburg is located in Western Cape
Laingsburg
Laingsburg
Laingsburg is located in South Africa
Laingsburg
Laingsburg
Laingsburg is located in Africa
Laingsburg
Laingsburg
Coordinates: 33°11′42″S 20°51′33″E / 33.19500°S 20.85917°E / -33.19500; 20.85917
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictCentral Karoo
MunicipalityLaingsburg
Area
 • Total723.72 km2 (279.43 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total5,667
 • Density7.8/km2 (20/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African8.2%
 • Coloured82.3%
 • Indian/Asian0.3%
 • White8.5%
 • Other0.7%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans93.6%
 • English1.7%
 • Xhosa1.6%
 • Other3.1%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
6900
PO box
6900
Area code023

Laingsburg (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈlainzbœrχ]) is a town located in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is a relatively large agricultural town in the semi-arid Great Karoo; its economy is based on farming goats, sheep, fruits, and vegetable. The town is served by two main roads, namely the N1 and the R323.

The area that became Laingsburg was first settled around 1727 or 1728. A train stop was built there in 1878, by which it had been called Buffelsrivier. It was then renamed to "Nassau", and finally to "Laingsburg". In 1904, Laingsburg became a municipality. In 1981, a flash flood, later called the Laingsburg Flood, almost completely submerged the town, destroying much of it.

  1. ^ a b c d "Main Place Laingsburg". Census 2011.