How did free state province in south Africa get its name?

Answer 1

It was first settled by the Dutch who would have called it Zuid Afrika with the discovery of diamonds in the area the British became interested and took over and it went by the same name only in English South Africa because it is the southern most part of Africa.

South Africa was initially broken up into the Cape Dutch colony, the British Natal colony and Transvaal and Free State Dutch colony. Later the British took over the entire country and unified it into the Union of South Africa under British rule.

Answer 2

The Cape of Good Hope, situated at the southern tip of the continent of Africa, was, initially, a Dutch colony. The settlers of European descent were, as a result, citizens of Holland, and therefore subjects of the Dutch monarch, prins Willem van Oranje (English: Prince William of Orange). When the Cape Colony came under British rule, the colonists of Dutch descent felt betrayed by what they felt was the invading force. When the British colonial governor, under pressure by the British crown, abolished slavery (whose labour formed the backbone of the largely agrarian society), the settlers felt that it was the final straw, and embarked in 1838 on a large-scale emigration into the northern territories. This mass-movement of colonists became known as the Groot Trek (English: Great Trek), and those who participated in it are known as the Voortrekkers (English: Pioneer Travellers). One of these new territories lay beyond the Gariep River (later known as the Orange River), and, upon Declaration of Independence and the establishment of a Boer Republic, was named the Orange Free State - "Orange" after the Dutch monarch, "Free" as in independent (of British rule), and "State" as in "republic". Towards the turn of the 19th century, this boer republic was conquered by the British during the Anglo-Boer war, and finally incorporated as a mere province into the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. The provincial status of the Orange Free State was retained when the Union became the Republic of South Africa on 31 May 1961. However, upon the dismantling of Apartheid in 1994, all provinces were redefined from 4 to 9 provinces, with the Orange Free State remaining intact in terms of borders. At this time, the reference to the Dutch monarch was dropped from the name of the province as a measure to be more inclusive towards the indigenous tribes, who had never been Dutch subjects. However, as a token of reconciliation towards the citizens of Voortekker descent or tradition, the "Free State" part of the name was retained. It is speculated that this name of the province may be changed in the foreseeable future, as it fails to reflect the original name of the territory, which was Transgariep (meaning the territory beyond the Gariep River). The traditional (historically correct) spelling of Gariep, incidentally, is "!Xariep" (the combination of "!X" is pronounced as a clicking sound made by the tongue).