Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Capital of Limpopo province bordering Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana, and the smallest World Cup venue with a population of only 140,000.

Polokwane, a drab small town on the road to Zimbabwe from Johannesburg, is one of the high venues, at 1,300 metres. The area is home of the fabled Rain Queen and also of Africa's totemic "upside-down" baobab tree.

The town became famous as the venue for a congress of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in late 2007 at which Jacob Zuma was elected leader of the party, deposing Thabo Mbeki and eventually becoming South Africa's president last year.

Peter Mokaba stadium, next to an old rugby arena, has been newly built with a capacity of 45,000 and will host four matches.

The corner support pillars have been built to resemble baobab trees.

Critics say Nelspruit and Polokwane stadiums, far from the footballing centre of South Africa and with no premier league team to host, will be expensive white elephants and the money should have been spent to improve conditions for the poor.

Both regions have been hit by violent protests against failure to deliver basic services to the black population 16 years after the end of apartheid.