ORANGE FREE STATE 



ORANG-UTAN 



varied and interesting group of wild animals, 

 including the African lion, tiger, zebra, ele- 

 plant, etc. These have almost disappeared, the 

 victims of European hunters of big game. 



The development of the country has been 

 comparatively recent. Before the middle of 

 the nineteenth century it was in a wild state, 

 inhabited by wandering bands of negroes. 

 About 1836 the Boers from Cape Colony on 

 the south migrated northward to this section 



LOCATION MAP 



Surrounding the Orange Free State are (a) 

 Province of the Cape of Good Hope; (b) Basuto- 

 land ; (c) Natal; (d) Transvaal; (e) Bechuana- 

 land ; (/) German Southwest Africa (wrested 

 from Germany during the War of the Nations). 



and founded what was known as the Orange 

 River Colony. This migration, or move, is 

 known as the Great Trek, a term often used 

 by Kipling in his verses. The British claimed 

 possession, but in 1854, after much dispute, it 

 was declared independent, and became known 

 as the Orange Free State. When war was de- 

 clared in 1899 between the Transvaal, its north- 

 ern neighbor, and Great Britain, the Orange 

 Free State joined forces with the Transvaal. 

 The Boers were defeated,- and in 1900 the 

 Orange Free State was declared a possession of 

 the British Crown, the name being changed to 

 Orange River Colony. Nine years later, under 

 its present name, it became a part of the Union 

 of South Africa. 



The population of about 530,000 is consider- 

 ably more than half native, or black. The 

 chief industry is cattle and sheep growing. 

 Farming is developing as the added moisture 

 from cultivation increases the fertility of the 

 soil. There are also many ostrich farms, and 

 ostrich feathers are among the chief articles of 

 export, when those ornaments are in demand. 

 The mining of diamonds, gold and coal con- 

 stitutes an important industry, though the 

 mines are neither so rich nor so extensive as 

 in some of the neighboring colonies. 



The British government has established 

 schools, but as these are not free, education is 



not compulsory. The province has about 1,350 

 miles of railroad, the principal line being the 

 Cape-to-Cairo road. The geographical location 

 of the Orange Free State makes it of the great- 

 est importance in the development of South 

 Africa. Bloemfontein, the capital and largest 

 city, is a base of supplies for a vast interior 

 region. M.W. 



Consult Wright's Thirty Years in South Africa; 

 Bryce's Impressions of South Africa. 



Related Subject*. The following articles in 

 these volumes will give added information on 

 topics connected with the Orange Free State: 

 Bloemfontein South African War 



Boer Transvaal 



Ostrich Union of South Africa 



ORANGE RIVER, the longest river of South 

 Africa, which, with many curves to the north 

 and south, extends almost across the continent. 

 It is also called the Garib, or Great Water, by 

 the native Hottentots, the name having been 

 changed by the Dutch into Garicp. Rising in 

 the highest eastern mountains, in Basutoland, 

 less than 200 miles from the Indian Ocean, and 

 emptying into the Atlantic, its channel extends 

 over 1,300 miles, and in its winding course it 

 drains over 400,000 square miles of territory. 

 The largest of several tributaries is the Vaal. 



The stream is bordered by steep banks and 

 contains many cataracts and ' cascades. At the 

 Great Aughrabies, or Hundred Falls, the waters 

 pour over a series of ledges and fantastically- 

 shaped islands, dropping 400 feet in sixteen 

 miles, and below rush through a rocky gorge 

 walled by high cliffs. The river is deflected by 

 the mountain barrier near the Atlantic coast 

 and makes a bend of ninety miles to the north. 

 A large sand bar obstructs the mouth of the 

 stream, which is but a mile wide, and similar' 

 bars and rapids in its course make it at all 

 times inaccessible to seagoing vessels. Above 

 the bar small vessels navigate the river for 

 limited distances. Where the stream passes 

 through fertile land, its waters are used for 

 irrigation purposes, and with the further de- 

 velopment of the country it will be of increas- 

 ing importance. 



This "great river, whose waters always 

 flowed," was discovered in the early part of 

 the eighteenth century by the Dutch settlers in 

 Cape Colony. It has led many explorers into 

 the interior of South Africa, and along its banks 

 lie the most important states of the southern 

 part of the continent. It was named in honor 

 of the House of Orange. 



ORANG-UTAN, orang' oo tan' , or ORANG- 

 OUTANG, orang' ootang', from a Malay 



