Johannesburg

Martin Pike, Partner

Johannesburg generates 16% of South Africa's wealth, and employs 12% of the national workforce. Some 74% of South African companies have their headquarters here. It has a financial, municipal, roads and telecommunications infrastructure that matches leading first world cities, but the cost of living is much lower.

Johannesburg hosts every form of commercial activity from modern financial services to heavy industries and mining. It is the capital of South Africa's wealthiest province - Gauteng, which generates 38% of the country's GDP, 26% of regional GDP and 9% of the whole continent's GDP.

The major national highways and rail routes radiate outwards from Johannesburg, making it a strategic choice for any business that relies on a complex distribution chain.

Johannesburg also has the most skilled workforce in the country. The city has a 20% advantage over the rest of the country in terms of literacy and numeric skills.

The financial centre of the country, it is home to the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, the biggest stock exchange in Africa and the 16th biggest in the world. The major television companies are based in Johannesburg, as are most of the advertising agencies, most telecommunication companies, and most of the international accounting firms. The highest court in the land, the Constitutional Court, is in Johannesburg.