Nelspruit is a city of 21,474 people (1991) situated in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province (formerly Eastern Transvaal). Located on the Crocodile River (known as the Krokodil in Afrikaans), Nelspruit lies 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of the Mozambique border.
It was founded in 1905 by three brothers of the Nel family who grazed their cattle around the site of Nelspruit during the winter months, and is a key manufacturing and agricultural hub for northeastern South Africa. Major industries include the canning of citrus fruit, paper production, furniture manufacture and timbermills. Fertile soils and subtropical climate provide perfect conditions for the growing of citrus and tropical fruits, mainly mango, banana, avocado and also many varieties of nuts.
The city has one airport, which is used primarily for flights from and to Johannesburg. It is also home to the Government Research Institute for Citrus and Subtropical Fruits , and the Lowveld Botanical Gardens .
Nelspruit is a major stopover point for tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park.
During the Boer War, Nelspruit served briefly as the seat of government for the South African Republic (not to be confused with the Republic of South Africa), an independent Afrikaner state.