Bloemfontein is located in central South Africa on the southern edge of the Highveld at an elevation of , bordering on the semi-arid region of the Karoo. The area is generally flat with occasional hills (''koppies'' in Afrikaans) and the general vegetation is Highveld grassland. Bloemfontein experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSk''), with hot summer days and cooler, dry winters, often with frosts. Snow is rare but as recently as August 2006 it snowed in the city, with snowfalls occurring again at the airport on 26 July 2007.