Top Universities in the South African Province of the Free State

    Wednesday, 16 September 2020



    Are you considering pursuing a degree at the Province of the Free State? Located in east-central South Africa, the province is home to top universities, which are among the best universities in South Africa. Get to know this wonderful, diverse, and beautiful Province while studying your dream degree.

    Why study at the Province of the Free State? 

    Here are some of the Province’s Main Features: 

    Location

    Located in east-central South Africa, the Free State Province lies in the heart of the country, with the Kingdom of Lesotho nestling in the hollow of its bean-like shape.

    Lying between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south, the region is one of flat, rolling grassland and crops fields, rising to lovely sandstone mountains in the northeast.

    Under the name Orange Free State, it was originally a Boer state and, from 1910, one of the traditional provinces of South Africa; it was renamed Free State in 1995. Free State is bordered on the north by North West, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga provinces, on the east by KwaZulu-Natal province and the independent state of Lesotho, on the south by Eastern Cape province, and on the west by Northern Cape province. The provincial capital, Bloemfontein, is also the national judicial capital.

    Industry

    The Central Free State is often referred to as "The Golden Country". Fields of corn and golden sunflowers embellish the landscape, and the gold deposits beneath the ground are a source of great wealth. One third of the country's gold is produced in the region of the Free State where modern towns with shopping centres, hotels, restaurants, parks and sports facilities have spread.

    Free State possesses sizable deposits of diamonds, coal, and bentonite. Much of the coal is transformed into oil and other petroleum products at Sasolburg. The province produces about two-fifths of South Africa’s corn (maize), and wheat is also an important crop. Undulating plains provide excellent grazing for sheep, and the Free State produces about one-sixth of South Africa’s wool.

    Climate

    The climate varies from warm and temperate with an annual rainfall of 40 inches (1,020 mm) in the east to semiarid with rainfall of only 15 inches (380 mm) in the far west. Mean annual surface temperatures gradually increase from about 58° F (14° C) in the east to 62° F (17° C) in the west. Frost is common over the entire province from May to September, and, because rainfall is unreliable, long periods of drought are frequent.

    Language and Ethnicity

    Blacks make up more than three-fourths of the province’s population, whites less than one-tenth. More than three-fifths of the population speak Sotho, and about one-tenth speak Afrikaans. Several other languages are also spoken. A large proportion of whites live in cities and towns, while the majority of blacks reside in rural areas.

    Interesting Fact

    Free State is also home to Vredefort Dome, the world’s oldest and largest meteorite impact site, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. Area 50,126 square miles (129,825 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) 2,902,400.

    Top Universities located in the Province of the Free State

    Established in 1904, University of the Free State (UFS) is a non-profit public higher-education institution located in the urban setting of the medium city of Bloemfontein, Free State. Officially recognized by the Department of Higher Education and Training of South Africa, the UFS is a large coeducational South African higher education institution. It offers courses and programmes leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study.

    Founded in 1981, Central University of Technology is a non-profit public higher-education institution also located in the medium city of Bloemfontein, Free State. This institution also has a branch campus in Welkom. CUT provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, sports facilities, study abroad and exchange programs, online courses and distance learning opportunities, as well as administrative services.