Edenburg

Edenburg is a town situated about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. As of 2001, it had a population of 14566. [4]

For the Johannesburg suburb, see Edenburg, Gauteng.
Edenburg
The Town Hall in Edenburg
Edenburg
Edenburg
Coordinates: 29°44′05″S 25°56′13″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceFree State
DistrictXhariep
MunicipalityKopanong
Established1862[1]
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • MayorXolile Mathwa [2] (ANC)
Area
 • Total41.4 km2 (16.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total14,566
 • Density350/km2 (910/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African75.8%
 • Coloured16.6%
 • Indian/Asian0.4%
 • White6.8%
 • Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
 • Sotho53.4%
 • Afrikaans26.5%
 • Xhosa14.0%
 • Tswana2.0%
 • Other4.1%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
9908
PO box
9908
Area code051

Background

Edenburg was proclaimed a town in 1863 and received municipal government in 1891.[5]

The town is 85 km south-south-west of Bloemfontein. Laid out on the farm Rietfontein in 1862 with the Dutch Reformed Church built in the same year and it became a municipality in 1891.[6]:352 The name is said to be either of biblical origin or an adaptation of Edinburgh, name of the birthplace in Scotland of the Reverend Andrew Murray, for many years the only minister in the Orange Free State.[7]

The N1 highway bypasses the town to the east, while the Port Elizabeth–Bloemfontein railway runs along its western edge.

References
  1. "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. Free State Tourism.org Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Sum of the Main Places Edenburg and Ha-Rasebei from Census 2011.
  4. Including the "township" of Ha-Rasebei. "Main Places 'Edenburg' and 'Ha-Rasebai'". Census 2001. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  5. "Edenburg". Free State Tourism. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  6. Conolly, Denis (1975). The Tourist in South Africa. Travel-Guide (PTY) LTD. ASIN B0000E7XZN.
  7. "Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)". Human Science Research Council. p. 151.
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