A brief description
De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, it was established in 1903 and has a population of around 46,000 people.
De Aar was originally on the farm called De Aar which means "the artery" which is a reference underground water supply. De Aar is centrally
located so the goverment chose the location as a junction for the first railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley in 1881. The junction was of
very stragetic importance for the English during the Second Boer War. In 1889 two brothers, Issac and Wolf Friedlander, who ran a trading store
and hotel at the junction bought the De Aar farm. After the Anglo Boer War the brothers appraised the farm for the establishment of a town, the
municipality was created a year later and the first mayor, Dr Harry Baker was elected in 1907. Despite the spring that gave De Aar its name the
town had insufficient water until 1936 when the municipality decided to purchase the village, Burgerville situated 34km away. 54 bore holes surrounding the town provides sufficient water for De Aar.
De Aar is the second-most important railway junction in the country, with 110km of railway lines including 29 rail-tracks. De Aar boasts a weather
station gathering climatic data which has literally put De Aar on the world map. De Aar has an average yearly rainfall of 300mm with the lowest minimum
temperature of -10 ºC, the highest maximum temperature of 40.7 ºC, an average summer temperature of 24 ºC and an average winter temperature of 14 ºC. De
Aar is situated at 1280 m above sea level and has an average humidity of 43%. As a declared industrial growth point, with ample, very reasonably priced
industrial sites, affordable labour and the necessary infrastructure, De Aar is the ideal place to establish an industry in the Northern Cape. Various major
industries have already taken advantage of De Aar's central location and excellent rail and road links to establish themselves here. De Aar is also a primary
commercial distribution centre for a large area of the central Great Karoo. Major production activities of the area include wool production and livestock farming.
The area is also popular for hunting, despite the fact that the region is rather arid. De Aar is increasingly becoming the center for supplying the whole country
with the famous "Karoo" mutton, so highly prized for its unique flavour and quality. There are ancient Khoisan rock engravings on the Nooitgedacht and Brandfontein farms.
There is also the "Garden of Remembrance", which honours the British troops killed in the Anglo-Boer War.