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South African Information - Free State Province
The landscape of the Free State is characterised by the typical expanse
of the South African interior plateau. The treeless grass plains are now
maize and wheat fields or, especially in the drier regions, sheep farms.
The "platte Land" is the heart of rural South Africa. To this
day many of the Afrikaans families who live here, claim ancestors who
came into this area during the Great Trek. These very hospitable people
are known to be conservative and Godfearing. Their moral values are stamped
by the Calvinist Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk) that came into the country
with the very first colonists of the Cape in 1652.
International tourism has - quite wrongly - neglected the Free State
so far. But the province offers many worthwhile spots. Besides the very
attractive Golden Gate Highlands National Park, the game and nature reserves
of Sterkfontein Dam, Willem Pretorius and Soetdoering are of particular
interest. They are never as crowded as the big game parks in Mpumalanga
or in KwaZulu-Natal, and excellent accommodation and camping sites are
available.
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