| Sutherland | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Northern Cape#South Africa#Africa |
| Coordinates: | -32.3936°N 20.6614°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Northern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Namakwa |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Karoo Hoogland |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1858 |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 35.98 |
| Elevation M: | 1460 |
| Population Total: | 2836 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 8.0% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 78.2% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.8% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 12.7% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 96.0% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 1.9% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 2.1% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 6920 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 6920 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 023 |
Sutherland is a town with about 2,841 inhabitants in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.[2] It lies in the western Roggeveld Mountains in the Karoo.
Sutherland was founded in 1855 as a church and market town to serve the area's sheep farmers. By 1872 the town had a population of 138 registered citizens living in 19 houses.[3] The large Dutch Reformed church in the centre of Sutherland was built in 1899.[4]
During the Anglo Boer War the church was used as a fort by garrisoned British soldiers. During the war a number of engagements between British and Boer forces occurred in the town. In one such engagement a force of 250 Boer commandos attacked the local British garrison for 10 hours. The ruins of a fort can be found on the outskirts of town on the hill called Rebelskop. This was named after this engagement.[5]
Major economic activities include tourism and sheep farming.[6] The area includes at least twelve registered B&B's, guest houses and guest farms.[7] The nearby South African Astronomical Observatory also plays a significant role in the town's economy and is a major driver of tourism to the area. The town also has a number of bars, restaurants and an amateur astronomy observatory that service the tourism sector.
Sutherland has recently gained in popularity, with many Capetonians buying property in the town and many more visiting on weekends and vacations.
Sutherland's arid climate and remote location 1450m (4,760feet) above sea level make its night skies among the world's clearest and darkest. The telescopes of the South African Astronomical Observatory are nearby at . These include the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere.[8]
Sutherland is the coldest town in South Africa, although the farm Buffelsfontein near Molteno holds the official lowest temperature record in Continental South Africa, of -20.2°C.[9]
The South African Prince Edward Islands have experienced significantly lower temperatures, however, these islands have sub-Antarctic, highland climates and are located well to the southeast of mainland South Africa.[10]
Snowfall in Sutherland is common in winter, And precipitation ranges from 170mm to 300mm mostly in the form of rain. [11] [12] [13] The coldest temperature recorded in Sutherland was on 12 July 2003,[14] And the lowest Daytime temperature was recorded at -6 °C on 2 August 2012.[15] Sutherland has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).
The climate record is sparse; the data below is drawn from the 2017-2020 records.
Notable residents of Sutherland include: