Cullinan, Gauteng

Cullinan
The main street in Cullinan
Cullinan Show map of Gauteng Cullinan Show map of South Africa Cullinan Show map of Africa  Cullinan shown within Gauteng
Coordinates: 25°40′22″S 28°31′15″E / 25.67278°S 28.52083°E / -25.67278; 28.52083Coordinates: 25°40′22″S 28°31′15″E / 25.67278°S 28.52083°E / -25.67278; 28.52083
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	City of Tshwane
Established	1903
Area
• Total	55.66 km2 (21.49 sq mi)
Elevation	1,450 m (4,760 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	8,693
• Density	160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	64.3%
• Coloured	2.7%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• White	31.7%
• Other	0.8%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	48.9%
• Northern Sotho	15.6%
• English	9.2%
• Sotho	5.9%
• Other	20.3%
Postal code (street)	1000
PO box	1000
Area code	012
Website	http://www.cullinan.za.net/

Cullinan is a small town 30 km (19 mi) east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. It is a small town along the diamond route that is heavily reliant on tourism and the mine that dominates the skyline. The town is named after diamond magnate Sir Thomas Cullinan.

In 1898 Sir Thomas Cullinan was handed a three carat diamond found along a farm fence. He studied the area and came to the conclusion that the diamond was washed down from a nearby hill. Sir Cullinan made an attempt to buy the land from the owner, Joachim Prinsloo, but did not succeed. After Prinsloo's death, he was able to purchase the land for ₤52,000 from Prinsloo's daughter. The Cullinan kimberlite was discovered in 1902 and in 1903 open pit mining commenced. The mine was named the Premier mine.

On 25 June 1905, the famed Cullinan Diamond, the largest in the world at 3,106 carats (621.2 g), was discovered by Frederick George Stanley Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company. It was bought by the Transvaal government and presented to King Edward VII.

The town of Cullinan owes its existence to the diamond mining in this area, much like Kimberly in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

Cullinan is situated in the Highveld region of South Africa. The town has an elevation of 1476 m (4842.52 ft) and is located at -25.6709 [latitude in decimal degrees], 28.5236 [longitude in decimal degrees]. The closest city is Pretoria being 40 km (25 mi) away, while Johannesburg is 100 km (62 mi) away.

Cullinan formed part of the Nokeng tsa Taemane Local Municipality until 18 May 2011. Due to mismanagement of funds, this municipality was disbanded and incorporated into the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.