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Upington is situated in an intensively cultivated
area on the banks of the Orange River.
Originally known as Kharahais, bound by the
Orange River and the Kalahari desert,
today Upington is the principal town and
commercial, educational and social centre of the
Green Kalahari.
It is the centre of the Karakul sheep and dry fruit
industries in the country and it is the most
northerly winemaking centre in South Africa with the
largest wine cellars in South Africa and the second
largest in the world.
This portion of the Orange River has many small
islands in the main stream and in the mid-1800s these densely
wooded areas were strongholds for rustlers and
renegades. A ford across the river, known as Olijvenhoutsdrift, became
a focal point for
these outlaws. In 1870 the Koranna (Khoisan) chief
Klaas Lucas sent word that he would like a
missionary to come to to teach his people to read
and write.
The Reverend Christiaan Schröder (a son of one
of a Rhenish missionary in Namaqualand) was sent from Cape Town and established the Olijvenhoutsdrift Mission Station in
1873.
Sir
Thomas Upington, the first Attorney-general of the
Cape Colony, visited the region in 1879 and decided
to establish a police station outpost to keep order.
This
police station was known as Upington, and
only in 1898 did the mission station and the
police station unite to form the town of
Upington.
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 This small settlement grew rapidly and the
variety of agricultural activities, the considerable
natural wealth and the endless source of Orange
River water all
added to its prosperity.
The Manse (rector's house) and the church that stand here
today are the original buildings that
Reverend Schröder built when he began the
mission, and now houses the Kalahari Orange
Museum.
The museum is home to the life-sized
monument of the donkey, sculptured in bronze
by Hennie Potgieter. It symbolizes the
unselfish contribution made by the donkey in
developing the Lower Orange River Valley
during the pioneer days.
 The landscape is very arid but the soil
is fertile and crops are grown
in irrigated fields. The area is best known
for its export-quality grapes, raisins and
wines, which are cultivated on the rich
flood plains of the Orange river. Upington
Airport has the longest runway in Africa at
4,900m.
Upington enjoys a summer rainfall and hot
climate, often reaching 40°C. An ideal winter holiday resort, its
facilities are excellent and the countryside
contrasts semi-desert reds with the emerald
and olive greens of fertile vineyards.
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