Hoedspruit

Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit  Hoedspruit shown within Limpopo
Coordinates: 24°21′S 30°58′E / 24.350°S 30.967°ECoordinates: 24°21′S 30°58′E / 24.350°S 30.967°E
Country	South Africa
Province	Limpopo
District	Mopani
Municipality	Maruleng
Established	1869
Area[1]
• Total	24.13 km^2 (9.32 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	3,157
• Density	130/km^2 (340/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
• Black African	39.4%
• Coloured	5.0%
• Indian/Asian	2.8%
• White	52.3%
• Other	0.5%
First languages (2011)[1]
• Afrikaans	44.8%
• English	19.7%
• Northern Sotho	11.7%
• Tsonga	6.2%
• Other	17.6%
Postal code (street)	1380
PO box	1380
Area code	015

Hoedspruit (Afrikaans for Hat Creek) is a town situated at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg (Afrikaans for "Small Dragon Mountains" range), in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on the railway line from Tzaneen to Kaapmuiden.

Economy

The town, while still small, has grown in recent years. Due to its proximity to private game reserves and the Kruger National Park, eco-tourism is a major contributor to the local economy.

The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre engages in research and breeding of endangered species, notably cheetah, African wild dog and black-footed cat.^[2]

Air Force Base Hoedspruit and Eastgate Airport

Air Force Base Hoedspruit is home to 19 Squadron, a helicopter unit of the South African Air Force.^[3] The civil Eastgate Airport, which shares the Air Force base's airfield^[4] is, as of May 2015, served by South African Express scheduled flights^[5] and several charter operators.^[6]

A feasibility study was conducted on whether the airport could be upgraded to international status. The airport accommodated 57 000 passengers between 2008 and 2009 and has the capacity to handle between 10 000 and 11 000 additional passengers.

Education

Hoedspruit has various primary and secondary schools:

• Laerskool Drakensig
• Hoespruit Christian School
• Southern Cross Schools
• Laerskool Mariepskop
• Hoedspruit Independent College

References

1. "Main Place Hoedspruit". Census 2011.
2. "Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre". Hesc.co.za. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
3. "Hoedspruit Airport Manyeleti - Easy flight access to Kruger Airport and Manyeleti Game Reserve". Manyeleti.com. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
4. "Hoedspruit Airport - General Information". Eastgateairport.co.za. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
5. "Hoedspruit Airport - Flight Schedules". Eastgateairport.co.za. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
6. "Hoedspruit Airport - Private Charters". Eastgateairport.co.za. Retrieved 2015-05-13.