image:RSA_Blue_Wildebeest.jpg|thumb|The province is known for its rich wildlife. and LydenburgMpumalanga is a Swazi word, meaning "there where the sun rises".Mpumalanga is important for South Africa|South Africa's economy, especially tourism. Tourist going to the south of the Kruger National Park enter the park here and the National Road to Mozambique also goes through here. It is also the major gateway for tourist going to/coming from Swaziland.Human history in this region starts around 46,000 years ago when red ochre was mined here. San Bushmen later inhabited the area and some of their rock art can still be found today. Some time after the bushman, the area was used by travelers from Asia for mining and trading. Between 1400 and 1700 there was an inflow of people from further north in Africa, notably the Nguni and Ndebele.In 1836 European settlers arrived in the region and in 1871 the first of a number of gold rushes occured with the discovery of gold on a farm near Polokwane (''then Pietersburg''). A number of wars followed betreen the ''boers'' and local tribes, as well as between the ''boers'' and Britain.In 1926 the Kruger National Park was proclaimed and in 1948 a fisheries institute was established in Lydenburg leading to the abundance of trout farms in the area today. http://wikitravel.org/en/Mpumalanga