City Africa
Benoni
Benoni is a town in South Africa, near the big city of Johannesburg. People dug for gold there!
Benoni is a town in South Africa, near Johannesburg, in a region called the Witwatersrand. The encyclopedia Larousse names gold mines and electrical-machine making in Benoni. South Africa's 2011 census counted 158,777 people in the town.
Benoni, a town of the Witwatersrand near Johannesburg (Larousse), had 158,777 inhabitants as a main place at South Africa's census of 9 October 2011 (City Population, from Statistics South Africa), within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (3,178,470); Larousse names gold mines and electromechanical industry.
Photo: PretoriaTravel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Benoni
Benoni is a town in South Africa, a country at the southern tip of Africa.
It is close to Johannesburg, a very big city.
Benoni is a town in South Africa. The French encyclopedia Larousse places it near Johannesburg, in the Witwatersrand, a region of Gauteng province.
South Africa's census of 9 October 2011 counted 158,777 people in Benoni. Benoni is one of many towns in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, which had 3,178,470 people at that census.
Larousse ('Benoni'): a town of South Africa near Johannesburg, in the Witwatersrand; population 401,540 (2001 census; not compared here with the 2011 main-place count); gold mines; electromechanical industry. City Population ('Ekurhuleni / East Rand: Main Places', from Statistics South Africa): Benoni, Main Place, 158,777 at the census of 9 October 2011; Ekurhuleni (East Rand) Metropolitan Municipality 3,178,470. City Population lists the main places 'according to the last census' (2011).
- Country
- South Africa, near Johannesburg, in the Witwatersrand (Larousse)
- People in the town (census, 9 October 2011)
- 158,777 (Benoni main place)
- Part of
- the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, 3,178,470 people in 2011 (City Population)
- Known for
- gold mines and electromechanical industry (Larousse)
A town center from the air
Look at the town from high up in the sky!
There are tall buildings, lots of cars and many buildings with red and green roofs.
PretoriaTravel took this photo from the air on 13 July 2011 and describes it as Benoni's central business district, the town's main area of offices and shops. It shows a cluster of taller buildings, big parking lots full of cars, streets lined with trees, low buildings with red and green roofs, a stretch of water at the far left and a hazy, flat horizon.
On Wikidata, Willowmoore Park, a cricket stadium, is about 0.8 kilometers south-southwest of the town's point.
Commons: 'Benoni CBD', own work by PretoriaTravel (CC BY-SA 3.0), taken 13 July 2011 at 09:50; description 'The Central Business District of Benoni'. A 2022 structured-data caption by another user ('Methodist church') does not match the photo and is not used. The photo shows mid-rise buildings, parking lots, tree-lined streets, low buildings with red, green and gray roofs, water at the far left and a hazy horizon. A 2011 photo: it shows the town as it was then. Wikidata from the town point (Q818106): Willowmoore Park (Q16903483), a cricket stadium, 0.80 km SSW; Benoni railway station (Q124425100) 1.48 km SW.
- In the photo
- the central business district of Benoni, 13 July 2011 (PretoriaTravel)
- Willowmoore Park
- a cricket stadium about 0.8 km south-southwest of the town's point (Wikidata)
- Benoni railway station
- about 1.5 km southwest of the town's point (Wikidata)
On the ridge of gold
Long ago, people found lots of gold under the ground here.
Mines were dug to bring it up.
Benoni lies in the Witwatersrand, often called the Rand. Larousse says that since 1886, 78 percent of all the gold produced in the whole world has been mined there. The gold field curves in an arc nearly 500 kilometers long, and today's mines lie outside the big built-up area around Johannesburg.
Larousse names gold mines among Benoni's activities, and Wikidata lists Modderfontein Gold Mine about 4.3 kilometers southeast of the town's point.
Larousse ('Witwatersrand', 'Rand' for short, literally 'ridge of white waters'): a region of South Africa in Gauteng province, at the northern edge of the high plateaus, 1,500-1,800 m above sea level; its center is occupied by the Johannesburg urban region; since 1886, 78% of the gold produced in the world has been mined there; current deposits lie outside the built-up area, the field forming an arc of nearly 500 km. Larousse ('Benoni'): mines d'or. Wikidata: Modderfontein Gold Mine (Q126717676), a gold mine in Gauteng, 4.31 km SE of the town point.
- Gold since 1886
- 78% of all the gold produced in the world was mined in the Witwatersrand (Larousse, for the whole region)
- Gold field
- an arc nearly 500 km long; today's mines are outside the Johannesburg built-up area (Larousse)
- Gold mine near Benoni
- Modderfontein Gold Mine, about 4.3 km southeast of the town's point (Wikidata)
Station, stadium and the wider metro
Trains stop at Benoni's station.
The town also has a cricket ground!
On Wikidata, Benoni's railway station is about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the town's point, and Willowmoore Park, a cricket stadium, about 0.8 kilometers south-southwest.
Benoni shares the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality with other towns. At the 2011 census, Boksburg had 260,321 people, Alberton 121,536 and Brakpan 73,080.
Wikidata from the town point (Q818106): Willowmoore Park (Q16903483) 0.80 km SSW; Benoni railway station (Q124425100, a railway station in the City of Ekurhuleni) 1.48 km SW. City Population, Ekurhuleni main places, census 2011: Alberton 121,536; Benoni 158,777; Boksburg 260,321; Brakpan 73,080; Vosloorus 163,216; metropolitan municipality 3,178,470.
- Railway station
- Benoni, a railway station about 1.5 km southwest (Wikidata)
- Cricket
- Willowmoore Park, about 0.8 km south-southwest (Wikidata)
- Neighbor towns in Ekurhuleni (2011)
- Boksburg 260,321; Alberton 121,536; Brakpan 73,080 (City Population)
High on the plateau
Benoni is in a high, flat land.
The whole region sits well above the sea.
Larousse says the Witwatersrand, the region Benoni is in, lies at the northern edge of South Africa's high plateaus, between 1,500 and 1,800 meters above sea level. Benoni's own Wikidata point is at about 26.19° south.
The World Meteorological Organization's city list has no entry for Benoni, so no table of monthly averages is given here.
Larousse ('Witwatersrand'): at the northern limit of the high plateaus, between 1,500 and 1,800 m. No climate table: Benoni is not in the WMO city list, and a Johannesburg table would not be Benoni's own. Wikidata point of Benoni: 26.188° S, 28.321° E.
- Height of the Witwatersrand
- 1,500 to 1,800 m above sea level (Larousse, for the region)
- Where
- at the northern edge of South Africa's high plateaus (Larousse)
- Latitude
- about 26.19° south (Wikidata)
Mines and machines
People in Benoni work in mines and factories.
Some make electrical machines.
Larousse names two activities for Benoni: gold mines, and electromechanical industry, which makes machines that run on electricity, such as motors.
The photo of the town center shows taller buildings and big parking lots full of cars, with streets of low buildings all around. Benoni is one of the main places that make up the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, where 3,178,470 people were counted in 2011.
Larousse ('Benoni'): mines d'or; électromécanique. Commons description: the central business district of Benoni (13 July 2011). City Population: Benoni is one of the main places of the Ekurhuleni (East Rand) Metropolitan Municipality.
- Industry
- electromechanical industry: making electrical machines (Larousse)
- Mining
- gold mines (Larousse)
- Town center
- the central business district, seen in the photo (Commons)
Benoni on the map
Find South Africa on the globe, then Johannesburg. Benoni is close by.
Benoni lies at about 26.19° south and 28.32° east, near Johannesburg, in the Witwatersrand. Larousse puts that region at the northern edge of South Africa's high plateaus.
On Wikidata, Willowmoore Park is about 0.8 kilometers south-southwest of the town's point, the railway station about 1.5 kilometers southwest and Modderfontein Gold Mine about 4.3 kilometers southeast.
Benoni lies at about 26.19° S, 28.32° E (Wikidata point of Benoni, Q818106; the sheet point is 4.59 km N of it, under the 5 km rule). Wikidata from the town point: Willowmoore Park 0.80 km SSW; Benoni railway station 1.48 km SW; Modderfontein Gold Mine 4.31 km SE.
- Latitude
- about 26.19° south
- Longitude
- about 28.32° east
- Region
- the Witwatersrand, near Johannesburg (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
Since 1886, most of the world's gold has come from Benoni's region!
Larousse says that since 1886, 78 percent of all the gold produced in the world has come from the Witwatersrand, the region Benoni is in.
Larousse ('Witwatersrand'): 'Depuis 1886, on y a extrait 78 % de l'or produit dans le monde entier.'
-
The name Witwatersrand means 'ridge of white waters'!
Larousse translates Witwatersrand, the region around Benoni, as 'ridge of white waters'. People often shorten it to 'the Rand'.
Larousse: Witwatersrand (abbreviated Rand), literally 'Crête des eaux blanches' (ridge of white waters).
-
Benoni sits high above the sea!
The Witwatersrand lies between 1,500 and 1,800 meters above sea level, says Larousse, at the edge of South Africa's high plateaus.
Larousse ('Witwatersrand'): à la limite nord des hauts plateaux, entre 1 500 et 1 800 m d'altitude.
Words to know
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
- gold field
- an area where gold is found under the ground
- plateau
- a large, flat area of high land
- metropolitan municipality
- a local government for a big city area made of several towns
- central business district
- the main area of offices and shops in a town or city
- electromechanical
- to do with machines that run on electricity, such as motors
Discovery challenge
-
Which shiny metal was mined around Benoni?
Which metal has been mined in the Witwatersrand since 1886?
Of which metal does Larousse say the Witwatersrand has produced 78% of the world's output since 1886?
- Gold
- Silver
- Tin
Show the answer
Gold
Gold!
Gold.
Gold (l'or).
-
Which big city is close to Benoni?
Larousse places Benoni near which big South African city?
Near which city does Larousse place Benoni, in the Witwatersrand?
- Johannesburg
- Cairo
- Nairobi
Show the answer
Johannesburg
Johannesburg!
Johannesburg.
Johannesburg.
-
What does the name Witwatersrand mean?
How does Larousse translate the name Witwatersrand?
What literal meaning does Larousse give for 'Witwatersrand'?
- Ridge of white waters
- Valley of gold
- Land of lions
Show the answer
Ridge of white waters
Ridge of white waters!
Ridge of white waters.
Crête des eaux blanches: ridge of white waters.
-
How many people did the 2011 count find in Benoni?
How many people did South Africa's 2011 census count in the Benoni main place?
What population does City Population give for the Benoni main place at the 2011 census?
- 158,777
- 15,877
- 1,587,770
Show the answer
158,777
158,777!
158,777 people.
158,777.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Benoni near Johannesburg, in South Africa's Witwatersrand.
- Explain what a gold field is and why one region produced so much gold.
- Tell the difference between a town and the metropolitan municipality it belongs to.
- Read a height range and compare it with places you know.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- How might finding gold change a region and the towns in it?
- Why might several towns be run together as one metropolitan municipality?
- What would it be like to live 1,500 meters above the sea?
Try at home or in class
- Gold arc: draw an arc 500 kilometers long to scale on a map of your own country and see what it would reach.
- Pie of gold: draw a circle and shade 78 parts out of 100 to show the Witwatersrand's share of the world's gold since 1886.
- Town and metro: list Benoni, Boksburg, Alberton and Brakpan with their 2011 counts and add them up.
Key vocabulary: census, gold field, plateau, metropolitan municipality, central business district, electromechanical
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Benoni , Larousse encyclopédie
- Witwatersrand , Larousse encyclopédie
- Ekurhuleni / East Rand (South Africa): Main Places , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics South Africa
- Benoni CBD , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.