Real coins·27 March 2026·4 min read
The rand — currency of the country of gold
Named after the Witwatersrand ridge, where the most gold in history was found, the rand carries gold's story.
The South African rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand, the region where, in the late 19th century, one of the largest gold reserves in the world was discovered.
The gold that built a country
The gold rush here transformed the region's economy and gave birth to Johannesburg. The Krugerrand, the first modern bullion coin, also comes from here. Gold wrote the history of these lands.
