About Johannesburg
Johannesburg has a population of over 5.5 million, is an epicentre of the international mineral and gold trade, and is the richest city in Africa by GDP. Johannesburg was established in 1886, following the discovery of large deposits of gold, and with a decade, the population surged to over 100,000. Modern Johannesburg is an amalgamation of formerly separate cities, townships and settlements, reflecting apartheid-era spatial segregation policies. Soweto ("South-Western Townships"), designated a "blacks only" city until 1994, is one of the most historically significant areas for modern South Africa. Home to key anti-apartheid leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, it became the epicenter of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, where student protests were met with brutal force.