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Barkly West

Barkly West
Barkly-Wes
Barkly West is located in Northern Cape
Barkly West
Barkly West
Barkly West is located in South Africa
Barkly West
Barkly West
Barkly West is located in Africa
Barkly West
Barkly West
 Barkly West shown within Northern Cape
Coordinates: 28°32′17″S 24°31′07″E / 28.53806°S 24.51861°E / -28.53806; 24.51861Coordinates: 28°32′17″S 24°31′07″E / 28.53806°S 24.51861°E / -28.53806; 24.51861
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District Frances Baard
Municipality Dikgatlong
Established 1869
Area
 • Total 73.1 km2 (28.2 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 20,105
 • Density 280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African 71.7%
 • Coloured 22.6%
 • Indian/Asian 0.4%
 • White 3.7%
 • Other 1.6%
First languages (2011)
 • Tswana 60.3%
 • Afrikaans 31.4%
 • English 2.3%
 • Sotho 1.8%
 • Other 4.1%
Postal code (street) 8375
PO box 8375
Area code 053

Barkly West (Afrikaans: Barkly-Wes) is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, situated on the north bank of the Vaal River west of Kimberley.

Barkly West was the site of the first major diamond rush, in 1870, on the South African Diamond Fields, and was initially known as Klip Drift. This Dutch name means "stony ford" and is a direct translation from a much older !Kora or Korana name, Ka-aub (or !a |aub) - "stony (place along a) river". Briefly the Klipdrift Diggers' Republic was declared (the town assuming the name Parkerton after President Stafford Parker), before colonial rule was extended here. It became, with Kimberley, one of the main towns in the Crown Colony of Griqualand West and was renamed Barkly West (see the article on New Rush). Like Barkly East, the town is named after Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Cape Colony and High Commissioner for Southern Africa from 1870-1877. During the Anglo-Boer War the town was occupied by Boer forces and temporarily went by the name Nieuw Boshof.

Barkly West is sometimes erroneously spelled as "Barkley-West" (even in road signage). In Afrikaans the town is known as Barkly-Wes. The local municipality, post-1994, is called Dikgatlong, part of the Frances Baard District Municipality.


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