| Vanrhynsdorp | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa#Africa |
| Coordinates: | -31.6167°N 62°W |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Name2: | West Coast |
| Subdivision Name3: | Matzikama |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.99 |
| Population Total: | 6272 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 6.9% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 71.9% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.4% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 19.7% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.0% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 95.3% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 1.6% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 1.2% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 1.8% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 8170 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 8170 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 027 |
Vanrhynsdorp[2] (also written Van Rhynsdorp) (in Afrikaans pronounced as /fan 'rɛɪnsdɔrp/) is a town located in the West Coast District Municipality of the Western Cape province in South Africa.[3] Considered the oldest and most southern European-settled town in Namaqualand, Vanrhynsdorp serves as a gateway to the Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo regions to the north and east.[4]
Vanrhynsdorp was founded as Trutro ("TroeTroe") after the area was first explored by Europeans in 1661 by Pieter van Meerhoff.[5] The Troe-Troe Zending ("Mission") dates to the 1751 completion of the Trutro Homestead, which still stands in Vanrhynsdorp today. The name of the town was changed to Vanrhynsdorp (sometimes spelled Van Rhynsdorp in English) in 1881.
Vanrhynsdorp is located 307km (191miles) north of Cape Town, 23km (14miles) east of Vredendal, and 80km (50miles) north of Clanwilliam. The town sits at the edge of the Succulent Karoo, an area of semi-desert succulent vegetation.[6] The mountains around the town were populated by the San people, a group of late stone age hunter-gatherers. Examples of rock art exist dating from this period exist in the area.
The Steenkampskraal mine and rare earth mineral deposit is located in Namaqualand, approximately 70km (40miles) to the northeast of the town center.[7]
A significant proportion of Vanrhynsdorp's indigenous Khoe population are victims of alcoholism as a result of the European colonists “dop system” where historically the European colonists created apartheid to evict the indigenous Khoe from their own lands; European colonist farmers later paid their indigenous Khoe farm workers with alcohol and subsequent generations continued this cycle. The Khoe people are recognised, along with the San, as being the earliest residents of South Africa and are in fact the oldest people on Earth.
The town sits on the N7 highway that connects Cape Town to the Namibian border.[8]