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The "Rand" or reef is famous for being the source of 40% of the gold ever mined from the earth. It is 100 kilometres (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometres deep in places.

The Witwatersrand is also another name often used to describe the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan AreaThe Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area is the official name of the area surrounding the city of Johannesburg, in South Africa. It includes Johannesburg and the areas of the East Rand and West Rand. It is sometimes also referred to as the Witwatersrand, which spans the length of the gold-bearing reef. The metropolitan area is oblong in shape and runs from the area of Randfontein and Carletonville in the west to SpringsSprings is a city in Gauteng province, South Africa and is part of the East Rand region. The name of the city derives from the large number of springs in the area; it has a population of more than 200,000. History The original 7 km² farm on which the city in the east. It includes the vast urban areas of the EastJohannesburg is highlighted in red, and the West Rand is shown in light brown East Rand is the name of the urban eastern part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a and West RandJohannesburg is highlighted in red, and the East Rand is shown in light brown West Rand is the name of the urban western part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a, and SowetoSoweto is an urban area near Johannesburg, in Gauteng province South Africa. During the apartheid regime, Soweto was constructed for the specific purpose of housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settle. To this end, the whole metropolitan area shares the same dialling code (011 locally). Substantial growth of the area, however, has prompted TelkomTelkom is a telecommunications monopoly in South Africa. Telkom is a semi-privatised, majority Government-owned dual-listed company. Telkom is known to be one of the most expensive providers of telephony and internet access in the world. Telkom provides A, South Africa's largest telephone company, to consider a second dialing code for the area. The new code is likely to be 010.

As yet, here is no freeway that spans the entire length of the Rand, but plans are in motion to extend the N17 freeway from central Johannesburg to Krugersdorp , so that a motorist could cross the area in less than an hour. The new stretch of freeway will be tolled.

The University of the WitwatersrandThe University of the Witwatersrand is a leading South African university situated in Johannesburg. It is offen referred to as "Wits. The school only allowed white students for most of the Apartheid eraof the Apartheid, even though several notable black a, built to serve the residents of the whole area, is located in Johannesburg.