Carnarvon, Northern Cape
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| Carnarvon | |
| — Town — | |
  Carnarvon
|
|
| Coordinates: 30°58′S 22°08′E / 30.967°S 22.133°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Province | Northern Cape |
| District Municipality | Karoo |
| Local Municipality | Kareeberg |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
Carnarvon is a small town in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Originally established in 1860 as the village of Harmsfontein, it was located within the territory of Schietfontein, the only water source in the area and the site of the Rhenish mission station founded in 1847 by the missionary, Rev. Christian Wilhelm Alheit. Some of the original mission buildings are still in use. The name was changed in 1874 in honour of the British Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon (1831 - 1890), whose son, also Lord Cararvon, was the famous Egyptologist.
The main agricultural activity is sheep farming.[1]
A site near Carnarvon has been chosen for the construction from 2009 of MeerKAT, an array of 50 or more 12m diameter radio dishes, a pilot project for the massive Square Kilometre Array telescope. The decision on where the full SKA will be located will be taken in 2010 or 2011.[2]
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 30°58′S 22°08′E / 30.967°S 22.133°E
[edit] References
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