Northern Cape Tourist Information
Geography and Climate
Upington is situated on the banks of the Orange (Gariep) River in the Southern- or Green Kalahari, which forms part of the 900.000 square kilometer Kalahari Desert (Tswana: Keir) (Khoisan: Khalagari) and is centrally located on the Namaqua Route between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Namibia. The geography of the town varies from sandy red dunes , rock faced "koppies" hills, African veld and extremely fertile agricultural areas. The Orange River is a perennial, bedrock-controlled river which have been prone to severe flooding in the past. Upington is generally accepted as the hottest town in South Africa, with summer temperatures varying between 30°C and 40°C. Winter temperatures during the day usually reach around 25°C, while the night temperatures, although averaging between 4°C and 10°C can drop to 0°C or below. The climate is generally dry: however, in summer , due to the town being situated on the banks of the Orange River, varying levels of humidity have been recorded. The anual average rainfall is less than 200mm
Transportation
Upington has a modern airport with scheduled flights provided by SA Airlink ( an affiliate of South African Airways.) The airport's runway, spanning 4900mm, is one of the longest in the world and the longest in South Africa. Until 1960's the airport was also the sight of the annual gliding world championships.
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