Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein (/ˈbluːmfɒnteɪn/ BLOOM-fon-tayn; 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 since 1994.
Bloemfontein
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Skyline of Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal National Women's Monument Obelisk National Afrikaans Literary Museum and Research Centre | |
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Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: City of Roses | |
| Motto: "Floreat" ("Flourish") | |
Bloemfontein Bloemfontein Bloemfontein | |
| Coordinates: 29°07′S 26°13′E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Free State |
| Municipality | Mangaung |
| Established | 1846 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan municipality |
| • Mayor | Vacant |
| Area | |
| • 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) | |
| • Capital city (judicial branch) | 256,185 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 747,431 |
| • Metro density | 120/km2 (310/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black | 56.1% |
| • Coloured | 12.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.8% |
| • White | 29.8% |
| • Other | 0.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 42.5% |
| • Sotho | 33.4% |
| • English | 7.5% |
| • Xhosa | 7.1% |
| • Tswana | 9.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 9300 |
| PO box | 9301 |
| Area code | 051 |
| HDI (2012) | 0.860 very high |
| Water Hardness | Level 3 (average) |
| Website | mangaung |
Situated at an elevation of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level, the city is home to 256,185 (as of 2011) residents and forms part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality which has a population of 747,431. 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, 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". The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs".