The Griqua are a subgroup of South Africa's Coloured population, descended from an admixture of European settlers and the Khoisan peoples they encountered on their initial arrival at the Cape. The Griqua largely adopted the Afrikaans language before their migrations.
Numbering more than 300,000 individuals, they are primarily to be found today in the Northern Cape region of South Africa.
They give their name to several parts of south Africa as Griqualand as they migrated away from other areas of population.
Griqualand East is an area around Kokstad on the frontier between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. This area was settled by Adam Kok III and 20,000 Griquas who followed him over the Drakensberg in 1861. The Griqua there were largely absorbed into the local Xhosa population of the Transkei — there have been suggestions that Nelson Mandela may have had some Griqua ancestory.
Griqualand West is the area around Kimberley and became significant when diamonds were discovered there; it has also been known for its rugby and cricket teams.
Griqualand East was a historical division in the Eastern Capeprovince of approximately 19 000 sq.
Griqualand West is in the Northern CapeProvince (north of the Orange River and west of Orange Free State) of about 38 000 sq.
Griqualand West was surrendered to Britain in 1871, the governor of Cape Colony was made its governor in 1872, with a nominated executive council, and a partly elective legislative council.
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