Calvinia
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2010) |
Calvinia
Kalvienieha in Afrikaansorthography | |
|---|---|
Top left: Hantam House Complex, right:Dutch Reformed Church,bottom left: Dorpshuis, right: Street in Calvinia | |
  Calvinia  Calvinia | |
| Coordinates:31°28′30″S19°46′22″E/ 31.47500°S 19.77278°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Northern Cape |
| District | Namakwa |
| Municipality | Hantam |
| Established | 1851[1] |
| Named for | Jean Calvin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 132.61 km2(51.20 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,855 |
| • Density | 22/km2(56/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| •Coloured | 52.1% |
| •White | 39.6% |
| •Black African | 5.2% |
| •Indian/Asian | 1.2% |
| • Other | 1.9% |
| First languages(2011) | |
| •Afrikaans | 95.3% |
| •English | 2.4% |
| • Other | 2.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2(SAST) |
| Postal code(street) | 8190 |
| PO box | 8190 |
| Area code | 027 |
Calviniais a regional town in theNorthern Capeprovince ofSouth Africanamed after theFrenchreligious reformerJean Calvin.The town falls under theHantam Local Municipalitywhich forms part of theNamakwa District Municipality.The Calvinia district is part of the GreatKarooregion ofSouth Africa.The town is just south of the Hantam mountains on the banks of the Oorlogskloof (meaning "War Ravine" ) River.
Calvinia enjoys 80% starlight and is renowned for its kaleidoscope of spring wildflowers coinciding with theNamaqualandwildflower spectacle.
An asteroid (1245 Calvinia) is named after the town.
History
[edit]The earliest known people living in the area wereKhoisanpeople. The first Europeans in the area were farmers who took their livestock to the area in the 1750s.
On 19 January 1847, at a meeting on the farm Tygerhoek, a newDutch Reformed Churchcongregation was founded for the Hantam region. In 1848 the congregation bought 1,200 hectares of the farm Hoogekraal (Ramskop) from Abraham van Wyk.
The name Hantam is derived from theKhoisanword!Han‡ami, which refers to a plant with edible roots (Pelargoniumbifolium, inAfrikaans"uintjies" ).!Han‡ami means "where the red bulbs grow".
The first reverend, N.J. Hofmeyr, proposed that the church be named afterJohn Calvin.On 30 October 1851 the town was officially named Calvinia. It became a municipality in 1904.
Geography and Climate
[edit]Calvinia is located at31°28′30″S19°46′22″E/ 31.47500°S 19.77278°E(-31.47500, 19.77278).
The town is 301 kilometers (470 kilometers by tar road) north ofCape Townand lies at an altitude of 970 meters.
The average summer temperature is 22°C, with peaks above 40°C. The average winter temperature is 10°C but can fall to -8°C. On the surrounding mountains, snow falls regularly.
This was where Abraham Esau garnered the support of the "Coloured" community to fight for the British against the Boers during the Boer War.
| Climate data for Calvinia (extremes 1900–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.9 (107.4) |
41.1 (106.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
36.4 (97.5) |
33.1 (91.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
29.2 (84.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
40.5 (104.9) |
39.4 (102.9) |
39.9 (103.8) |
41.9 (107.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.9 (89.4) |
31.8 (89.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.5 (77.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27.5 (81.5) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.7 (65.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) |
14.1 (57.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
3.3 (37.9) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.8 (46.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.1 (53.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−11.6 (11.1) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 8.3 (0.33) |
15.5 (0.61) |
15.3 (0.60) |
18.9 (0.74) |
20.9 (0.82) |
26.1 (1.03) |
25.0 (0.98) |
19.8 (0.78) |
12.2 (0.48) |
11.2 (0.44) |
11.3 (0.44) |
11.3 (0.44) |
196.1 (7.72) |
| Average precipitation days | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 30.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 63 | 65 | 63 | 62 | 58 | 52 | 48 | 46 | 56 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 374.6 | 326.3 | 319.1 | 278.6 | 257.6 | 223.9 | 247.9 | 266.9 | 281.5 | 325.5 | 314.8 | 372.1 | 3,615.6 |
| Source 1:NOAA[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst(humidity 1951–1984),[4]Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[5] | |||||||||||||
Culture
[edit]Afrikaansis the main language spoken in Calvinia. The principal religion of the population isChristianity.
Attractions
[edit]The Calvinia Museum is housed in the formerart decostyled Jewishsynagoguebuilt in 1920. The museum portrays the lives of the early European settlers. It displays a cedarwood horsemill and mounted Cape fat-tailed,MerinoandDorpersheep. Unusual specimens such as a 4-legged ostrich and genetically anomalous sheep can also be viewed.
The Akkerendam Nature Reserve is located three kilometers north of Calvinia. The reserve offers unique flowers and two hiking trails cross the Hantam mountains. The indigenous and rare sterboom (literally translated "star tree" ) (Cliffortia arborea) can be seen here.
TheHantam Meat Festival,an agricultural show and great barbecue (Afrikaans"braai" ), takes place every year in late August.
TheBoekhuis[permanent dead link](translated "Book House" ) was built in 1860 by Jacobus Nel van der Merwe inCape Dutchstyle with a concave-convex gable. This historical T-shaped house in Water Street is made available for the exclusive use of writers.
Education
[edit]The town has four public schools:
- Hantam Secondary School
- Calvinia High School
- Hantam Primary School
- Calvinia Primary School
All four public schools also have boarding houses for both boys and girls.
Famous residents
[edit]- Rona Rupertis the author of 33Afrikaansbooks for children and young people.
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Robson, Linda Gillian (2011)."Annexure A"(PDF).The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact(PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii.hdl:2263/26503.
- ^abcd"Sub-Place Calvinia".Census 2011.
- ^"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Calvinia".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 20,2024.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Calvinia, Prov. Northern Cape / Südafrika"(PDF).Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world(in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst.Retrieved19 November2016.
- ^ "Station Calvinia"(in French). Meteo Climat.Retrieved19 November2016.
Municipalities and communities ofNamakwa District Municipality,Northern Cape | ||
|---|---|---|
District seat:Springbok | ||
| Hantam |  | |
| Kamiesberg | ||
| Karoo Hoogland | ||
| Khâi-Ma | ||
| Nama Khoi | ||
| Richtersveld | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
