Philippolis

Philippolis
Philippolis Location in the Free State
Coordinates: 30°16′S 25°17′E
Country	South Africa
Province	Free State
District	Xhariep
Municipality	Letsemeng
Main Place	Letsemeng
Area
• Total	460.99 km2 (177.99 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	131
• Density	0/km2 (0/sq mi)
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)
Postal code	9970
Area code(s)	051

Historical states in present-day South Africa
before 1600 Mapungubwe (1050–1270)
1600-1700 Cape Colony (1652–1910)
1700-1800 Swellendam (1795) Graaff Reinet (1795–1796)
1800-1850 Waterboer's Land (1813–1871) Zulu Kingdom (1818–1897) Adam Kok's Land (1825–1861) Winburg (1836–1844) Potchefstroom (1837–1848) Natalia Republic (1839–1843)
1850-1875 Orange Free State (1854–1902) Republic of Utrecht (1854–1858) Lydenburg Republic (1856–1860) South African Republic (1857–1902) Griqualand East (1861–1879) Griqualand West (1870)
1875-1900 Stellaland (1882–1885) Goshen (1882–1883) Nieuw Republiek (1884–1888) Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891)
1900-present Cape Colony (1652–1910) Union of South Africa (1910–1961) Transkei (1976–1994) Bophuthatswana (1977–1994) Venda (1979–1994) Ciskei (1981–1994) Republic of South Africa (1961–present)
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Philippolis is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was founded as a missionary outpost for the Bushman in 1823, making it the oldest settlement in the Free State. It was named after John Philip of the London Missionary Society. Adam Kok II, a Griqua leader, settled here with his people in 1826 and was made the protector of the mission. However, Kok and his followers killed all the Bushmen at the Mission Station.^{[citation needed]}

Kok's son Adam Kok III and his followers later migrated across the Drakensberg mountains to settle in Kokstad. The writer and intellectual Sir Laurens van der Post was born in Philippolis. Today the town is becoming a popular tourist destination because of its historical value, architecture and rural lifestyle.