Ceres, South Africa
Ceres is the administrative centre and largest town of the Witzenberg Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Ceres serves as a regional centre for the surrounding towns of Wolseley, Tulbagh, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred Hamlet. It is situated in the Warmbokkeveld (Afrikaans: "warm antelope field") Valley about 170 km north-east of Cape Town. Ceres is located at the north-eastern entrance to Michell's Pass and was the old route north between Cape Town and Johannesburg, which was later replaced by the N1 highway, which traverses the Breede River Valley to the south.
Ceres | |
|---|---|
Town centre of Ceres with its main street on a winter day | |
Ceres Ceres | |
| Coordinates: 33°22′S 19°19′E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| District | Cape Winelands |
| Municipality | Witzenberg |
| Established | 1854 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 80.7 km2 (31.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 33,224 |
| • Density | 410/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 28.7% |
| • Coloured | 61.4% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 8.5% |
| • Other | 1.0% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 70.2% |
| • Xhosa | 23.0% |
| • Sotho | 2.9% |
| • English | 2.1% |
| • Other | 1.9% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 6835 |
| PO box | 6835 |
| Area code | 023 |
Named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres, a name which is fitting as the valley in which the town is situated is extremely fertile and is a major producer of South Africa's deciduous fruit.