Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and official de facto capital; the other two being Cape Town and Bloemfontein, respectively the legislative and judicial capitals.
Pretoria is contained in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as one of several constituent former administrations (among which also Centurion and Soshanguve), and therefore sometimes incorrectly referred to as Tshwane — this contentious issue is still being decided.

Geography and climate
The city has a population of approximately one million. The main languages spoken in Pretoria include Tswana, Ndebele, Afrikaans, and English. The whole Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality had a population of 1 985 997 as of the 2001 census.

History
Pretoria is one of South Africa's leading academic cities, and it is home to both the largest residential university in the country (the University of Pretoria), the Tshwane University of Technology and the largest distance education university (the University of South Africa, more commonly known by its initials, UNISA). The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is also located in this city.

Cultural and academic
One of the most popular sports in Pretoria is rugby union. Loftus Versfeld is home to the Blue Bulls who compete in the domestic Currie Cup, and the Bulls who compete in the international Super 14 competition (Winners of the Super 14 in 2007). Pretoria also hosted matches during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Loftus Versfeld will be used for matches of the 2010 World Cup.There are two soccer teams in the city campaigning in the Premier Soccer League. They are Sundowns and Supersport United. Sundowns are the reigning PSL Champions.

Sports
Pretoria is an important industrial centre, with heavy industries including iron and steel casting as well as automobile, railroad and machinery manufacture. In a study entitled An Inquiry into Cities and Their Role in Subnational Economic Growth in South Africa and published in 2002 by statisticians at Potchefstroom University, the city was found to contribute 8.55% of the country's total GDP, making it the third biggest contributor behind Johannesburg and Cape Town .

Economy
On 26 May 2005 the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC), which is linked to the Directorate of Heritage in the Department of Arts and Culture, approved changing the name of Pretoria to Tshwane, which is already the name of the Metropolitan Municipality This could increase confusion about the distinction between the city of Pretoria and the municipality of Tshwane.

Change of name

Johannesburg, South Africa Sister cities

The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa
Church Square
Union Buildings
Marabastad
Menlyn Park Places of interest

Kruger House (Residence of the president of the ZAR, Paul Kruger).
Melrose House (The Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the Anglo-Boer War was signed here in 1902)
Voortrekker Monument
Freedom Park
Transvaal Museum
African Window Museums

Groenkloof Nature Reserve
Rietfontein Nature Reserve
Moreletaspruit Nature Reserve
Fairy Glen Nature Reserve
Wonderboom Nature Reserve
National Botanical Gardens Nature Reserves

Loftus Versfeld Trivia

Central Business District of Pretoria.