Just 150 years ago this part of the former Transvaal was home to scattered tribes, farmers, small Voortrekker towns and wild animals. Now Gauteng is the economic powerhouse of South Africa, producing a third of the country's wealth, and though it is by far the smallest province, it has the highest concentration of city-dwellers. The reason for the dramatic change was the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand (White Water Ridge) in 1886, which brought with it a massive influx of population and the rapid growth of cities.