Gauteng (/ɡɔːˈtɛŋ/; Sotho pronunciation [xɑ́úˈtʼèŋ̀]), which means "place of gold", is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first multiracial elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria–Witwatersrand–Vereeniging (PWV) and was renamed "Gauteng" in December 1994.

Situated in the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa, accounting for only 1.5% of the land area. Nevertheless, it is highly urbanised, containing the country's largest city, Johannesburg, its administrative capital, Pretoria, and other large industrial areas such as Midrand and Vanderbijlpark. As of 2015^[update], Gauteng is the most populous province in South Africa with a population of approximately 13,200,000 people.

The name Gauteng is derived from the Sotho name, "gauta" meaning "gold" with the locative suffix "-eng". "Gauta" itself is derived from Dutch word for gold, "goud". There was a thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. In Sesotho, the name "Gauteng" was used for Johannesburg and surrounding areas long before it was adopted in 1994 as the official name of a province.

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