Kimberley

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Kimberley

City (pop., 2005 est.: urban area, 185,000), South Africa. It is the capital of Northern Cape province. Founded in 1871 shortly after the discovery of diamonds in the area, it was the capital of Griqualand West (1873 – 80) before it became part of Cape Colony. It was besieged by the Boers for four months (1899 – 1900) during the South African War. Kimberley is home to several historical memorials and museums that honour its diamond-mining past. It is still a centre for mining and cutting diamonds. Its outskirts are marked by immense pits and heaps of earth, the aftermath of mining operations. The now-defunct Kimberley mine (now called the Big Hole) is nearby.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Kimberley

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Kimberley (kĭm'bərlē), city (1991 pop. 167,060), Northern Cape, South Africa. Since the 19th cent. the city has been primarily a diamond-mining center, but underground mining, which had not been profitable for some time, was halted in mid-2005. The mine's tailings dumps continue to be processed, and textiles, construction materials, and machinery are manufactured. Kimberley is also an important railroad junction.

The city was founded in 1871 when diamonds were discovered on a nearby farm. The De Beers Consolidated Mines, organized by Cecil Rhodes, assumed control of the diamond fields in 1888, and its headquarters are still in Kimberley. In 1899-1900, during the South African War, the city was besieged for 124 days by Boer (Afrikaner) forces. Northern Cape Technical College and the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum are in Kimberley.

WordNet: Kimberley

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: city in central South Africa; center for diamond mining and diamond marketing

Wikipedia: Kimberley

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Look up Kimberly or Kimberley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:

Places

Australia
- Kimberley (Western Australia), region
- Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
Canada
- Kimberley, British Columbia, small city
South Africa
- Kimberley, Northern Cape, diamond mining city
United Kingdom
- Kimberley, Norfolk, town
- Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, town
United States
- Kimberly, Arkansas, town
- Kimberly, Alabama, town
- Kimberly, Idaho, city
- Kimberly Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota
- Kimberly, Oregon, unincorporated community
- Kimberly, Utah, ghost town
- Kimberly, Fayette County, West Virginia, unincorporated community
- Kimberly, Monongalia County, West Virginia, unincorporated community
- Kimberly, Wisconsin, village

People

Earl of Kimberley, U.K. peerage created in 1866
Kimberly (given name), also covers people named Kimberley
surname:
- Barry Kimberley, Australian rules footballer
- Kayton Kimberly, businessman and author of Repossess Your Life!
- Lewis Kimberly, Rear Admiral in the United States Navy during the American Civil War

Warships

HMS Kimberley (F50), K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy
USS Kimberly (DD-80), destroyer (1917–37)
USS Kimberly (DD-521), destroyer (1942–67)

Other

Siege of Kimberley (1899–1900) during the Second Boer War
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, to certify the origin of rough diamonds
Kimberly Mansion, Connecticut, a historic house in Glastonbury
"Kimberly", track on Horses (album) (1975) by Patti Smith

		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kimberley". Read more

	Kimberly (family name)
	Kimbley (family name)
	Port Elizabeth (city of southeast South Africa)

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Kimberley

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