Map of Welkom, South Africa

Welkom is a city in Free State, South Africa, with a population of about 431,944. It lies at 27.9774°S, 26.7351°E. Welkom is about 287 km (178 mi) southwest of Pretoria, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Kutloanong, 16 km to the north.

Welkom at a glance

Where is Welkom?

• The 14th largest city in South Africa by recorded population.
• The 2nd largest city in Free State on this site.
• Located in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 10 h 22 min on the shortest day to 13 h 55 min on the longest day (around 21 June and 21 December).

Cities near Welkom

• Kutloanong — 16 km north
• Virginia — 19 km southeast
• Wesselsbron — 39 km west
• Theunissen — 48 km south
• Kroonstad — 61 km northeast
• Bothaville — 66 km north
• Viljoenskroon — 88 km north
• Senekal — 95 km southeast
• Orkney — 111 km north
• Wolmaransstad — 114 km northwest

Largest cities in Free State

• Bloemfontein — 556,637
• Botshabelo — 309,714
• Sasolburg — 135,828
• Virginia — 122,502
• Kroonstad — 117,152
• Kutloanong — 95,008
• Bethlehem — 91,075
• Phuthaditjhaba — 84,258
• Thaba Nchu — 72,721
• Bothaville — 71,934

Largest cities in South Africa

• Johannesburg — 9,418,183
• Cape Town — 4,772,846
• Durban — 3,338,026
• Pretoria — 2,112,693
• Soweto — 1,695,047
• Port Elizabeth — 1,050,078
• Pietermaritzburg — 839,327
• Benoni — 605,344
• Bloemfontein — 556,637
• Tembisa — 511,655

Map of South Africa and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.