Aberdeen, South Africa
Aberdeen | |
|---|---|
Street in Aberdeen | |
Aberdeen Aberdeen | |
| Coordinates: 32°29′S 24°4′E / 32.483°S 24.067°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Sarah Baartman |
| Municipality | Dr Beyers Naudé |
| Established | 1856 |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.4 km2 (5.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 7,162 |
| • Density | 465/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 19.4% |
| • Coloured | 73.0% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 6.7% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 80.7% |
| • Xhosa | 15.5% |
| • English | 2.2% |
| • Other | 1.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 6270 |
| PO box | 6270 |
| Area code | 049 |
Aberdeen, officially Xamdeboo after a name change in February 2026, is a small town in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. With its numerous examples of Victorian architecture, it is one of the architectural conservation areas of the Karoo.
Aberdeen lies some 55 km south-west of Graaff-Reinet, 155 km east-south-east of Beaufort West and 32 km south of the Camdeboo Mountains. Laid out on the farm Brakkefontein as a settlement of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1856 (now the NGK), it became a municipality in 1858. It is named after the Scottish city of Aberdeen.
In 2023, it was proposed for Aberdeen to be renamed to Camdeboo. In 2024, this was rejected by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie. In 2026, a name with a slight difference in spelling (Xamdeboo) was officially approved by the minister in January, with the name change taking place in February.