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Wikipedia says:
Bloemfontein (Afrikaans and Dutch for "spring of Bloem (bloom)", "flower spring" or "fountain of flowers" is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs." 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.
Although Bloemfontein has a reputation for its flowers in an otherwise arid region, the city's name is alleged by some to refer to Jan Bloem (1775-1858), a Korana Griqua leader whose people inhabited (and still inhabit) parts of the Free State and Northern Cape.
This theory is widely disputed, as the emerging Boer settlement would likely have avoided identifying the town with an indigenous group. The founding of the town also predates Bloem's death.
The city 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. (...) more....
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