| Situated 50 km north of Johannesburg, lies Pretoria, South Africas administrative capital.
Pretoria has a character of its own. The climate is hotter than Johannesburg and its natural
vegetation is subtropical in nature. Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City as it has more than
80 000 jacaranda trees that line its streets. Pretoria grew up around Church Square, which was
the original marketplace and focal point of the Boer community, and is still the hub of its social
and political scene. Several impressive buildings have been built around the square, such as the
Palace of Justice and the old Raadsaal (parliament) of the ZAR. Its centre piece is the bronze
statue of Paul Kruger, who was president of the ZAR. His modest home - Kruger House Museum - is
open to the public. The Union Buildings is the most notable of the city's edifices and is built
on Meintjieskop, above the city. Pretoria is home to the University of South Africa (UNISA), one
of the worlds biggest correspondence universities, and the University of Pretoria, the country's
largest residential university.
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