Free State Province
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| Capital | Bloemfontein | ||
| Largest city | Bloemfontein | ||
| Area - Total | Ranked 3rd 129,480 km² | ||
| Premier | Beatrice Marshoff (ANC) | ||
| Population - 2001 - 1996 - Density | Ranked 8th 2,706,776 2,633,504 21/km² (2001) | ||
| Languages | Sotho (62%) Afrikaans (14%) isiXhosa (9.5%) | ||
| Races | Black (88.0%) White (8.8%) Coloured (3.1%) Asian (0.1%) | ||
Free State is a province of South Africa, deriving from the old Orange Free State. Its capital is Bloemfontein which is also South Africa's judical capital. In 9 June 1995 was changed from Orange Free State to Free State. The current borders date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and included into the provinces of South Africa.
It is situated on flat boundless plains in the heart of South Africa. The soil is rich and the climate good allowing a thriving agricultural industry. It is known locally as South Africa's bread basket, with more than 30,000 farms that produce over 70% of South Africa's grain consumption. It also has some of the most productive gold and diamond mines in the world.
| Provinces of South Africa | Missing image South_africa_flag_large.png Flag of South Africa |
|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | Free State | Gauteng | KwaZulu-Natal | Limpopo | Mpumalanga | Northern Cape | North West | Western Cape | |