The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, the center of its important gold-mining industry, its manufacturing and commercial center, and the hub of its transportation network.
Gold mining is the sprawling city's chief industry.
Manufactures include cut diamonds, industrial chemicals, plastics, cement, electrical, electronic, and mining equipment, paper and paper products, glass, food products, and beer. Jan Smuts International Airport is nearby. Johannesburg's large black population provides labor for the mines. Formerly a group of townships southwest of the city, Soweto became an independent city in 1983. Rand Afrikaans Univ.