The Free State province of South Africa was previously known as the Orange Free State. Bloemfontein is the Capital of Free State and also the judicial capital of South Africa. Bloemfontein is popularly known as "the city of roses" due to its abundance of roses which are celebrated at an annual rose festival. Bloemfontein is also home to the Free State stadium which has both an international cricket venue and an international rugby venue.
South Africa's Free State province experiences a climate characterised by warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. The eastern Free State areas experience frequent snowfalls, especially on the higher ranges. In contrast the western areas of the Free State can be extremely hot in summer. Mostly the rainfall in the Free State occur as brief afternoon thunderstorms and the province becomes drier towards the west.
Situated on flat boundless plains, the rich soil and pleasant climate of the Free State allows for a thriving agricultural industry. With a large percentage of South Africa's farms situated in the Free State, the province is responsible for producing the majority of the country's grain. The Free State province is mostly high-lying with the Drakensberg and Maluti mountains raising the terrain to over 2000 m in the east.
Free State's dominant language is Sesotho with Afrikaans the dominating language in the south-west as well as in some of the major towns. The other main home languages are isiZulu and Setswana. Free State is land locked and borders six South African provinces namely Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West province, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
