Kuruman

Kuruman is a town with 13,057 inhabitants in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is known for its scenic beauty and the Eye of Kuruman, a geological feature that brings water from deep underground. It was at first a mission station of the London Missionary Society founded by Robert Moffat in 1821. It was also the place where David Livingstone arrived for his first position as missionary in 1841. The Kuruman River, which is dry except for flash floods after heavy rain (see wadi), is named after the town.OriginsThe town is widely known as ‘the fountain of Christianity’ in Africa, or the 'Oasis of the Kalahari', due to the flowing springs of Die Oog, where a vast abundance of water reaches the surface in the Kalahari Desert. At the 'Moffat Mission' the Scottish missionary Robert Moffat was the first person to translate and print the entire Bible into the Setswana African language. He helped build the Moffat Church which was completed in 1838.Location and climateKuruman was located along the border that bounds the Northern Cape from the North West Province and is still a local town for most communities surrounding the town, including those that live in the North West Province.