Richmond is named after the Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, father of Lady Sarah Lennox (1792 – 1873), who was married to the Cape Governor, Sir Peregrine Maitland.

Richmond is a town in the central Karoo region of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It is situated on the main N1 route. The town was established in 1843 in South Africa’s inland plateau. It was founded to meet the religious needs of a growing farming community, but unlike most Karoo towns the church was not built as the physical focal point of the village; rather, the centerpiece is the village square.

Richmond is a small town with about 8’000 inhabitants, and is located on the Great Karoo central plateau on the banks of the trickling Ongers River, fed by three fountains. The original farm on which the town was founded was named Driefontein, which means Three Fountains.

Richmond has a Saddle Horse Museum, one of only two in the world. The other museum is in Kentucky (USA). The museum was established in 1955 by Charl van den Heever and Bill Sieberhagen. Exhibits include saddles, harnesses, carriages and carts. There is also a stamp collection with horse related themes.

In the early days the area was rich in game, with herds of springbok claimed to contain a million or more heads. Lion was also still found in the area. Richmond often suffers periods of long droughts, and sometimes violent floods.

Richmonf is part of the Ubuntu Local Municipality which is a Category B municipality within the Pixley Ka Seme District in the Northern Cape Province. It is bordered by Kareeberg and Emthanjeni in the north, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces in the south, the Eastern Cape in the east, and the Namakwa District in the west.
It is the largest of the eight municipalities that make up the district, accounting for almost a quarter of its geographical area. Its seat is Victoria West.

Area: 20 393km²

Cities/Towns: Hutchinson, Loxton, Richmond, Victoria West

Main Economic Sectors: Agriculture

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