Kimberley , city (1991 pop. 167,060), Northern Cape, South Africa. Since the 19th cent. the city has been primarily a diamond-mining center, but underground mining, which had not been profitable for some time, was halted in mid-2005. The mine's tailings dumps continue to be processed, and textiles, construction materials, and machinery are manufactured. Kimberley is also an important railroad junction.
The city was founded in 1871 when diamonds were discovered on a nearby farm. The De Beers Consolidated Mines, organized by Cecil Rhodes , assumed control of the diamond fields in 1888, and its headquarters are still in Kimberley. In 1899-1900, during the South African War , the city was besieged for 124 days by Boer (Afrikaner) forces. Northern Cape Technical College and the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum are in Kimberley.
Kimberley City in South Africa; capital of Northern Cape province. It was founded in 1871 after the discovery of diamonds nearby. Today, it is one of the world's largest diamond centres. Other industries include the processing of gypsum, iron and manganese. Pop. (2002 est.) 189,500.
The Big Hole
As miners arrived in their thousands, the hill disappeared, and became known as the Big Hole. From mid-July 1871 to 1914, 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kg of diamonds. The Big Hole has a surface of 17 hectares (42 acres) and is 463 metres wide. It was excavated to a depth of 240 m, but then partially infilled with debris reducing its depth to about 215 m; since then it has accumulated water to a depth of 40 m leaving 175 m visible. Beneath the surface, the Kimberly Mine underneath the Big Hole was mined to a depth of 1097 metres. A popular local myth claims that it is the largest hand-dug hole on the world, however Jagersfontein Mine appears to hold that record.[7] There is currently an effort in progress to register the Big Hole as a World Heritage Site.
Kimberley Airport (IATA: LIM, ICAO: FAKM) services the area, with regular scheduled flights from other parts of the country. Passenger train services to and from Kimberley are provided by Spoornet's Shosholoza Meyl, with connections south to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and north to Johannesburg. Kimberley is located at the intersection of the N12 and N8 national roads.
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