Welkom 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. Population: 400, 000 Area: 212,7 km²
City layouts
Welkom is well known for its efficient road traffic design mainly through the use of traffic circles, which has been the basis of worldwide studies.[citation needed] This is encouraged by flow design, the minimum of stop streets and the total absence of traffic lights and parking meters in the Central Business District. There are currently 33 large traffic circles.
Language
English and Afrikaans are the official languages.
Weather
Welkom normally receives about 401 mm to 550 mm of rain per year, dependent on wet or dry cycles, with most rainfall occurring mainly during mid-summer. It receives the lowest rainfall (0 mm) in July and the highest (70 mm) in January. The monthly distribution of average daily maximum temperatures ranges from 17 °C in June to 29 °C in January. The region is the coldest during July when the mercury drops to 0 °C on average during the night.
Currency
Welkom is well known for its efficient road traffic design mainly through the use of traffic circles, which has been the basis of worldwide studies.[citation needed] This is encouraged by flow design, the minimum of stop streets and the total absence of traffic lights and parking meters in the Central Business District. There are currently 33 large traffic circles.