Place Names in Southern Africa - 1

New Dictionary of South African Place Names by Peter E Raper (Jonathan Ball) R225

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the name Bela-Bela or why the Lebombo Mountains are so named? After whom is Johannesburg named, where did Gamkaskloof get its name and why the name Mpumalanga? The answer to these questions can be found in the New Dictionary of South African Place Names which has more than 6 000 entries and includes place names in Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique.

The author is president of the Names Society of Southern Africa and has been a member of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names since 1984.

The dictionary is very relevant at the moment with numerous name changes to cities and towns pending or already in effect. A case in point is Bela-Bela (formerly Warmbaths) which means, appropriately, boiling water.

The book makes an ideal travelling companion and is great to dip into if you have an interest in local history.

Each entry provides the place name, its geographical position, its status, various spellings of the name, the language from which it is derived and the meaning of the name.

http://www.itsallwrite.net/aspbite/categories/index.asp?intCatID=314

http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/Blog/How-Kakamas-Got-its-Name

http://www.safarinow.com/destinations/muizenberg/places/Muizenberg-Station.aspx

https://sites.google.com/site/saplacenames/

Entry no: 1