The Vaal Triangle is a triangular
A triangle is a polygon
In geometry
Geometry (from the grc, γεωμετρία; ' "earth", ' "measurement") is, with , one of the oldest branches of . It is concerned with properties of space that are related with distance, shap ...
area formed by Vereeniging
Vereeniging () is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly si ...
, Vanderbijlpark
Vanderbijlpark is an industrial city with approximately 75 000 inhabitants, and 95 000 inhabitants in the metropole, situated on the Vaal River in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa. The city is named after Hendrik van der Bijl, an ele ...
and Sasolburg
Sasolburg is a large industrial city within the Metsimaholo Local Municipality
Metsimaholo Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Fezile Dabi District of the Free State in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic ...
about 60km south of Johannesburg
Johannesburg (, also ; ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), informally known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. With over 60 million people, it is the world's 23rd-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital citie ...
. The area forms a substantial urban complex. Meyerton, just north of Vereeniging, is also generally included in the complex, and residents of Sharpeville
Sharpeville (also spelled Sharpville) is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging
Vereeniging () is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa
South Africa, officially the ...
, Boipatong, Bophelong, the greater Sebokeng
Sebokeng (/sə' boʊ kər' ŋ/) is a middle-class township
A township is a kind of human settlement
In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community in which people live. The complexity ...
area (including Evaton, Orange Farm
Orange Farm ("Farma") is a Township (South Africa), township located approximately from Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It is the southernmost township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Its name, a misn ...
, etc.), Heidelberg
Heidelberg () is a university town in the German state
The Federal Republic of Germany, as a federal state, consists of sixteen partly sovereign federated states (german: Land (state), plural (states); commonly informally / federated s ...
, Zamdela, Deneysville and Potchefstroom also generally tend to consider themselves to live in the Vaal Triangle. The area straddles the Vaal River and is a major industrial region, which is home to former Iron and Steel Corporation Mittal Steel South Africa, Iscor, now ArcelorMittal South Africa, and Sasol, the steel and petrochemical processing facilities.
In 2013, research by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) revealed that areas in the Vaal Triangle have persistently higher concentrations of air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, than in the rest of South Africa. Due to the heavy industries in and around the Vaal Triangle it became infamous for its Air Pollution, air pollution and respiratory disease. For this reason, local Afrikaans speaking people often refer to the region as the ''Vuil Driehoek'' (meaning ''Dirty Triangle'') as a pun on ''Vaal Driehoek'' (the Afrikaans translation for Vaal Triangle).
Nearby is the Vaal dam, Vaal Dam, from which the massive PWV megalopolis (Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Vereeniging
Vereeniging () is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was formerly si ...
) draws its water. The PWV forms the urban heart of Gauteng province. The Witwatersrand is the name given to the area that comprises the Greater Johannesburg metropole and the gold-bearing reef along which gold was discovered in 1886.
The Vaal Dam is well-patronised by people from Johannesburg over the weekends and during holidays, as it provides extensive water recreation facilities some 70 km south of the city.
References
External links
Vaal Triangle University Campus - North-West University
Geography of South Africa Geography of Gauteng {{SouthAfrica-geo-stub