Witwatersrand, or Rand, South Africa, a gold-mining area in Gauteng Province. Since 1886, when gold was first discovered there, it has been one of the world's great gold producers. The Witwatersrand, which is Afrikaans for "white water ridge," consists of a ridge some 60 miles (100 km) long and 25 miles (40 km) wide, lying about 5,500 to 6,000 feet (1,700 to 1,800 m) above sea level. With Johannesburg near its center, the Rand is also a major urban and industrial area.