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Bloemfontein

For other uses, see Bloemfontein (disambiguation).
"Mangaung" and "Bloem" redirect here. For the surname and given name, see Bloem (name). For the Municipality, see Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.

Bloemfontein
Capital city (judicial branch)
Skyline of Bloemfontein
Replica of the Eiffel Tower
Bloemfontein CBD
Coat of arms of Bloemfontein
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
City of Roses
Motto: 
"Floreat" ("Flourish")
Bloemfontein is located in Free State (South African province)
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is located in South Africa
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is located in Africa
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Coordinates: 29°07′S 26°13′E / 29.117°S 26.217°E / -29.117; 26.217
CountrySouth Africa
Province Free State
MunicipalityMangaung
Established1846[2]
Government
 • TypeMetropolitan municipality
 • MayorVacant
Area
[3]
 • Capital city (judicial branch)236.17 km2 (91.19 sq mi)
 • Metro
6,283.99 km2 (2,426.26 sq mi)
Elevation
1,395 m (4,577 ft)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Capital city (judicial branch)256,185
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
 • Metro
[3]
747,431
 • Metro density120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[3]
 • Black56.1%
 • Coloured12.8%
 • Indian/Asian0.8%
 • White29.8%
 • Other0.5%
First languages (2011)
[3]
 • Afrikaans42.5%
 • Sotho33.4%
 • English7.5%
 • Xhosa7.1%
 • Tswana9.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9300
PO box
9301
Area code051
HDI (2012)Increase 0.860
very high
Water HardnessLevel 3 (average)
Websitemangaung.co.za

Bloemfontein (/ˈbluːmfɒnteɪn/ BLOOM-fon-tayn;[4][5] Afrikaans: [ˈblumfɔntɛin]), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongside the legislative capital Cape Town and administrative capital Pretoria, although the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court, has been in Johannesburg[6][7][8] since 1994.

Situated at an elevation of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level, the city is home to 256,185 (as of 2011)[9] residents and forms part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality which has a population of 747,431.[10] It was one of the host cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The city of Bloemfontein hosts the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Franklin Game Reserve,[11] Naval Hill, the Maselspoort Resort and the Sand du Plessis Theatre. The city hosts numerous museums, including the National Women's Monument, the Anglo-Boer War Museum, the National Museum, and the Oliewenhuis Art Museum. Bloemfontein also hosts the first digital planetarium in the southern hemisphere, the Naval Hill Planetarium, and Boyden Observatory, an astronomical research observatory.

Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses" for its abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there. The city is situated in the middle of the country; hence it is referred to as "Central South Africa".[12][13][14] The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs".

  1. ^ "Bloemfontein". strabon.io. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Main Place Bloemfontein". Census 2011.
  4. ^ Dictionary Reference: Bloemfontein
  5. ^ The Free Dictionary: Bloemfontein
  6. ^ Marais, Lochner; Twala, Chitja (7 May 2020). "Bloemfontein: the rise and fall of South Africa's judicial capital". African Geographical Review. 40 (1). Informa UK Limited: 49–62. doi:10.1080/19376812.2020.1760901. ISSN 1937-6812. S2CID 218929562.
  7. ^ "South Africa at a glance". South African Government. Retrieved 18 June 2020. Bloemfontein (judicial) The Constitutional Court is located in Johannesburg.
  8. ^ Cox, Wendell (2017). Demographia World Urban Areas 13th Edition (PDF). Demograhia. pp. 20–36.
  9. ^ "Bloemfontein". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Statistics By Place: Mangaung". www.statssa.gov.za. Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Bloemfontein | national judicial capital, South Africa". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  12. ^ Bloemfontein: "Did you know?" Archived 8 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Bloemfontein: General Information Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". News24. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2022.