Where In South Africa Is Grootfontein?

Grootfontein isn't in South Africa; it is in next door Namibia to the north.

Grootfontein lies to the north of Namibia near the border with Angola. From the 1960s to the 1980s when there was the bitter war in Ovamboland and Southern Angola, Grootfontein developed into a massive military base for the South African troops who were involved in that long running conflict.

Grootfontein's history does, however, go much further back than that. Like many settlements in the dry and arid Namibia, Grootfontein owes its existence to the reliable presence of water. Elephant hunters were attracted to Grootfontein's spring water, and as early as 1850 were using the area as a hunting base. A permanent settlement did not appear until 1884 when a party of trekkers established the republic of Upingtonia near Grootfontein.

Two years later, their leader was killed by local Africans and the Grootfontein settlement came under the protection of the German colonial authorities.

Grootfontein's major claim to fame is as the site of the largest metal meteorite ever found. It was identified and recorded in 1921 and its composition is 93 per cent iron.