Soweto, urban complex in Gauteng province, South Africa. It was originally set aside by the South African white government for residence by blacks, it adjoins the city of Johannesburg on the southwest; its name is an acronym derived from South-Western Townships. It is the country's largest black urban complex. William Carr, chair of non-European affairs, initiated the naming of Soweto in 1959. He called for a competition to give a collective name to townships dotted around the South-west of Johannesburg. It consist of 29 townships which, together with Diepmeadow (Diepkloof and Meadowlands) and Dobsonville, from what is commonly referred to as greater Soweto. The Johannesburg municipality controlled Soweto until 1973 when the West Administration Board took over.
The population, representing a number of black ethnic groups, typically has been larger than the official enumeration (which had exceeded one million by the mid-1990s). Soweto residents were in the forefront of demands for the development of black equality during the country's apartheid era. In 1976 Soweto was the site of a massive uprising known as the Soweto Rebellion, which began as a protest against the government's insistence that the Afrikaans language be used as the medium of instruction in Soweto's high schools. Years of violence and repression followed.
There is little industrial development in Soweto, and most residents commute to other parts of Greater Johannesburg for employment. However, tourism has become a growing source of income. The must do things in this region are Bicycle Tour, Bungee Jump From Orlando Towers, Regina Mundi Church,Vilakazi Street, Rosa Parks Library and many more.
