Observatory, Johannesburg
Observatory | |
|---|---|
Observatory Observatory | |
| Coordinates: 26°10′34″S 28°04′55″E / 26.176°S 28.082°E / -26.176; 28.082 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Gauteng |
| Municipality | City of Johannesburg |
| Main Place | Johannesburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.66 km2 (0.25 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 490 |
| • Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 32.9% |
| • Coloured | 1.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 4.3% |
| • White | 60.6% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • English | 71.0% |
| • Zulu | 6.9% |
| • Afrikaans | 3.9% |
| • Tswana | 3.1% |
| • Other | 15.1% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 2198 |
| PO box | 2187 |
Observatory is a suburb in Johannesburg's east and is located in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality; it borders the suburbs of Houghton Estate, Cyrildene, Linksfield, Bellevue, Bellevue East and Dewetshof.
History
It is named for the Union Observatory established in early 1903, sited on Observatory Ridge, the city's highest point. The suburb is situated on part of an old Witwatersrand farm called Doornfontein.[2] It was established in 1903.[2]
It is a well-established suburb: Observatory Girls' Primary was founded in 1918, and Observatory Golf Course founded in 1912 is the oldest golf club in Johannesburg still operating from its original ground.
It has traditionally been a centre for Johannesburg's Jewish community. Jewish residents made up 48.9% of the population in 1971.[3] The suburb housed the Yeshivah Gedolah of Johannesburg, until its relocation to Glenhazel.
During the apartheid era, it was classed as a "whites only" area under the terms of the Group Areas Act. In 1991, the Abolition of Racially Based Land Measures Act, 1991 repealed the Group Areas Act.
References
- ^ a b c d "Sub Place Observatory". Census 2011.
- ^ a b Raper, Peter E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 1412. ISBN 9781868425501.
- ^ Dubb, A. A.; Della Pergola, S. (1978). South African Jewish Population Study: Advance Report No. 9 – Geographical Distribution and Mobility (PDF) (Report). Division of Jewish Demography and Statistics, Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
External links
- Observatory, Johannesburg Information, wheretostay.co.za
- Suburb Map, maps.brabys.co.za