Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein (English pronunciation: /ˈbluːmfɒnˌteɪn/ or /ˈbloʊmfɒnˌtaɪn/;Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈblumfɔntəi̯n]; Afrikaans and Dutch for "fountain of flowers" or "blooming fountain") is the capital city of the province of Free State of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals; the other two capitals are 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". Bloemfontein has since 2011 formed part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, having been in the Mangaung Local Municipality beforehand.

Bloemfontein is situated on dry grassland at 29°06′S 26°13′E / 29.100°S 26.217°E / -29.100; 26.217, at an altitude of 1,395 m (4,577 ft) above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455.