Nelspruit, city in northeastern South Africa, capital of Mpumalanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal) province. Located on the Krokodil (Crocodile) River, 60 km (40 mi) east of the Mozambique border, Nelspruit was named after three brothers of the Nel family; the Nels were Afrikaner farmers who used the area to graze their livestock in winter because of its low elevation. In addition to being the seat of the provincial government, Nelspruit is a manufacturing center and a commercial hub for the region's agricultural sector. Industries in the city include canneries for citrus fruits and vegetables, timber mills, paper and pulp factories, furniture manufacturers, and engineering workshops. Nelspruit is also a stopover for tourists on the way to Kruger National Park, 40 km (25 mi) away. The Government Research Institute for Citrus and Subtropical Fruits and the Lowveld Botanical Gardens are located in Nelspruit. The city has an airport, which primarily handles flights to and from Johannesburg. In the late 1800s a railway line was constructed linking Johannesburg with Delagoa Bay in southern Mozambique and passing through the site of Nelspruit. Nelspruit was founded in 1905. During the Boer War (1899-1902) it served briefly as the seat of government of the South African Republic, an Afrikaner state. Population (1991) 21,474.
