Beaufort West

Beaufort West Beaufort-Wes
Main Street, Beaufort West
Beaufort West Show map of Western Cape Beaufort West Show map of South Africa Beaufort West Show map of Africa  Beaufort West shown within Western Cape
Coordinates: 32°21′S 22°35′E / 32.350°S 22.583°E / -32.350; 22.583Coordinates: 32°21′S 22°35′E / 32.350°S 22.583°E / -32.350; 22.583
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Central Karoo
Municipality	Beaufort West
Established	1818
Area
• Total	56.5 km2 (21.8 sq mi)
Elevation	900 m (3,000 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	34,085
• Density	600/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	18.2%
• Coloured	72.7%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• White	8.1%
• Other	0.6%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	81.2%
• Xhosa	13.6%
• English	2.6%
• Other	2.7%
Postal code (street)	6970
PO box	6970
Area code	023

Beaufort West (Afrikaans: Beaufort-Wes) is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 34 085 inhabitants in 2011.

It is the centre of an agricultural district based mainly on sheep farming, and is a significant town on the N1 national road.

Next door to Beaufort West is the Karoo National Park. Important fossils have been found in the area, initially by David Baird, son of the local magistrate in 1827.

As part of a drive to create employment opportunities, a hydroponics project was started and used to supply premium herbs and vegetables nationally. Despite receiving awards and rescue funding, the project was not sustainable and has been defunct since 2010.

The old Town Hall and the Dutch Reformed Church have been declared national monuments.

Beaufort West was the first town to be established in the central Karoo. The town was founded in 1818 and initially named Beaufort after Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, who was the father of Lord Charles Henry Somerset, then governor of the Cape Colony. The town was renamed Beaufort West in 1869 to avoid confusion with Port Beaufort in the Western Cape as well as Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape.

The town became prosperous with the introduction of Saxon Merino sheep. One of those who first farmed them, John Molteno, was a young Anglo-Italian immigrant who then founded the town's first bank in 1854 and went on to become the first Prime Minister of the Cape.

Beaufort West became the first municipality in South Africa on 3 February 1837 and had the country's first town hall. When the railroad reached the town in 1880 it became a marshalling yard and locomotive depot and today it is the largest town in the Karoo.