Upington City was named after Sir Thomas Upington, the Attorney-General of the Cape. In the 1870's this Area, was inhabited by Griqua People under leadership of Klaas Lucas and of Klaas Pofadder.

Back then these men were known as 'the river pirates', living on the many small islands situated in the Orange River.

Originally known as Kharahais, bound by the Orange River and the Kalahari desert, Upington is the principal town and commercial, educational and social centre of the Green Kalahari, owing its prosperity to agriculture and its irrigated lands along the Orange River.

The attractive entrance to Die Eiland Holiday Resort was declared a national monument in 1982. The palms were planted in 1935 by officials of the Department of Lands. The avenue of more than 200 date palms planted 9m apart is 1 041m long, making it one of the longest and densest palm avenues in the Southern Hemisphere.