Mangaung : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Bloemfontein

Official name

Bloemfontein

Native name lang

Settlement type

City

Country

South Africa

Province

Free State

District municipality

Motheo

Local municipality

Mangaung

Officially founded

1846

Geography

Elevation

4576.8 ft (1395 m)

Demography

Total Population

369568

Other information

Time zone

SAST (UTC+2)

Area code

051

Home | City | Mangaung

Bloemfontein (c-eniconˈblʊmfɒnteɪn, Dutch for "fountain of flowers" � lit., "blooms") is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals � the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.

Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as "the city of roses", owing to the abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs" and it has been included in the Mangaung Local Municipality since 2000.

Bloemfontein is situated on dry grassland at , at an altitude of 1,395 metres above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455. Bloemfontein is served by Bloemfontein Airport.