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History & Evolution
Initially the area around Johannesburg was inhabited by hunter-gatherers like Bushmen and the Bantu. The name of the city really came into history with discovery of gold in 1886. After the discovery, the population of the city exploded as soon Europeans also made their way to the region further triggering the gold rush.

Johannesburg was initially a suburb of Pretoria and as the value of control of the land increased, tensions developed between the government of Pretoria and the British, leading to the Second Anglo-Boer War. The Boers lost the war and control of the area came into the hands of British and therefore, the then surveyor general, Johannes Rissik, named the city after himself.

The 1910 a declaration of the Union of South Africa resulted in a more organised mining structure but soon the South African government instituted a harsh racial system whereby blacks and Indians were heavily taxed, barred from holding skilled jobs and forced to work as migrant labour on Johannesburg's growing crop of gold mines.

A Group Areas Act was passed in 1950 under which any non-White was excluded from being allowed to live in established towns or to live and work in any established economically viable areas which were proclaimed to be White areas.

This created a sprawling shantytown of Soweto (South Western Townships), one of the areas where blacks were forced to live during the apartheid era. Nelson Mandela also spent many years living in Soweto.

Though after a long time but this system did broke a large-scale violence in 1976 when the Soweto Students' Representative Council organised protests against the use of Afrikaans, considered to be the language of the oppressors, as the primary language of instruction in black schools.

Thousands of people protesting the apartheid system were killed by the police but eventually, the regulations of apartheid were abandoned in February 1990 and since 1994 elections, Johannesburg has been free of discriminatory laws.

The black townships were integrated into the municipal government system and suburbs were made multiracial.

Today, Johanna is the largets and most commercial city of South Africa and currently the city’s Metropolitan Council is implementing a large scale Inner City Revival project, leading to many business moving back to the inner city.

Site-Seeing
JHB is a fascinating city with a modern center combining its ways with the older surroundings. The city may not be known for having many attractions but its few sites lure many tourists from round the globe.

The city has a number of historical and art museums along with several large amusement parks and squares.

Newtown Cultural Precinct:
A few years ago, this area was nothing more than slums but today the Newtown Precinct has undergone quite radical alterations making it the most attractive precinct of the city. This striking complex in the city centre possesses almost all the important landmarks and attractions of Johanna.

Where the magnificent Victorian building houses the Market Theatre, Museum Africa, a photography museum and the Museum of South African Rock Art, the famous President Street on the other hand is home to the South African Breweries Centre along with some reconstructed gold-rush pubs and shebeens (township bars).

There is also a commercial centre for the Indian community along Jeppe Street names as Oriental Plaza.

Therefore, it is a miniature Johannesburg where all the major historical events of the city took place.
Location: Newtown Cultural Precinct

Johannesburg Zoological Gardens
The Johannesburg Zoo is a favourite place for locals as well as for visitors serving as a respite from the busy city’s hustle-bustle. The zoo contains numerous enclosures that house more than 3,000 species of animal, including polar bears, cheetahs and leopards.

On the eastern edge of the zoo is the Museum of Military History, which has some interesting exhibits like tanks, fighter aircraft and submarines. While to cover the long distances of the zoo, a tractor-tram does circuits for those who don’t fancy walking.
Location: Jan Smuts Avenue, Forest Town

Apartheid Museum:
Illustrating the rise and fall of the racially prejudiced system known as Apartheid, the museum exhibits a series of 22 individual areas displaying the dramatic journey of triumph of a reason which crowned half a century of struggle.

The journey starts with the galleries of massive identification cards emphasizing the dehumanizing aspect of racial profiling. The displays include life-size photographs of all-white race classification board along with newspaper reports about the board's ridiculous methods.

The journey becomes more intense as the history of South African racial segregation and resulting political turmoil is exhibited through vivid photographs, well-researched textual displays and agonizing video footage.

The museum also exhibits the bleak hangman's nooses symbolizing the number of political prisoners executed during apartheid rule until as late as 1989 and three desperately tiny solitary confinement cells that would have serviced prisoners facing lengthy periods of detention without trial.
Location: South of City Center

Gold Reef City:
Basically a theme park full of rides, the Gold Reef City is an entertainment complex which was designed to be a re-creation of Victorian Johannesburg during the gold-rush era.

Today the crowds enjoy the thrill rides like the Anaconda roller coaster and Thunder Mountain River Rapids while the complex also houses a number of museums and offers performances by traditional gumboot dancers.

There are plenty of restaurants, bars, a massive casino and a Victorian hotel as well for those wanting to stay the night.
Location: Off Xavier Road, Ormonde