Welkom

Welkom
Matjhabeng
Goldfields Mall
Goldfields Mall
Coat of arms of Welkom
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): 
Circle City; City Within a Garden; Mvela
Welkom is located in Free State (South African province)
Welkom
Welkom
Welkom is located in South Africa
Welkom
Welkom
Welkom is located in Africa
Welkom
Welkom
Coordinates: 27°58′59″S 26°43′15″E / 27.98306°S 26.72083°E / -27.98306; 26.72083
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceFree State
DistrictLejweleputswa
MunicipalityMatjhabeng
Area
[1]
 • Total
167.6 km2 (64.7 sq mi)
Elevation
1,435 m (4,708 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
64,130
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 • Black60.7%
 • White26.9%
 • Coloured11.1%
 • Indian/Asian0.9%
 • Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 • Afrikaans38.4%
 • Sotho33.4%
 • English10.7%
 • Xhosa8.9%
 • Other8.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9459
PO box
9460
Area code057
WebsiteOfficial website

Welkom (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈvɛlkɔm]) is the second-largest city in the Free State province of South Africa, located about 140 kilometres (90 mi) northeast of Bloemfontein, the provincial capital. Welkom is also known as Circle City, City Within A Garden, Mvela and Matjhabeng. The city's Sesotho name, Matjhabeng means 'where nations meet', derived from the migrant labour system, where people of various countries such as Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique etc. met to work in the mines of the gold fields.

A settlement was laid out on a farm named "Welkom" (which is the Afrikaans and Dutch word for "welcome") after gold was discovered in the region, and it was officially proclaimed a town in 1948. The town became a municipality in 1961.[2] It now falls in the Matjhabeng Municipality, part of the Lejweleputswa District. Welkom was officially declared a city on 14 February 1968.

  1. ^ a b c d "Census 2011: Main Place: Welkom". Census 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  2. ^ Raper, P. E. (1987). Dictionary of South African Place Names. Lowry Publishers. p. 470. ISBN 0947042067.