South Africa

South Africa [1] is located at the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho (which is completely surrounded by South Africa). It is a vast country with widely varying landscapes and with 11 official languages, an equally diverse people. South Africa is renowned for its wines and is the world's largest producer of gold. South Africa has a strong economy and is an influential player in African politics. In 2010 South Africa will host the first Football World Cup to be held in the African continent.

Regions

South Africa is divided into 9 provinces, they are:

• Eastern Cape
• Free State
• Gauteng
• KwaZulu-Natal
• Limpopo
• Mpumalanga
• North West
• Northern Cape
• Western Cape

Territories

• Marion Island
• Prince Edward Islands

Cities

Capitals

• Bloemfontein -- Location of the Supreme Court of Appeal, the highest court in non-constitutional matters. The Constitutional Court in Johannesburg became the highest court in constitutional matters in 1994.
• Cape Town -- The legislative capital and seat of Parliament. A world-class city named for its proximity to the Cape of Good Hope. Also within a stone's throw of South Africa's winelands.
• Pretoria -- The administrative capital of the country

Others

• Durban -- Largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and one of the biggest ports in Africa.
• East London -- Industrial town in the Eastern Cape centred around motor vehicle manufacturing.
• George -- The largest town on the Garden Route.
• Johannesburg -- The business centre of South Africa.
• Kimberley -- Capital of the Northern Cape known for its diamonds
• Nelspruit -- Capital of Mpumalanga.
• Pietermaritzburg -- Capital of KwaZulu-Natal, near Durban.
• Polokwane -- formally Pietersburg, and capital of Limpopo Province.
• Port Elizabeth -- Capital of the Eastern Cape
• Upington -- Large town in the Northern Cape

Other destinations

South Africa is a paradise for anyone interested in natural history. A wide range of species (some potentially dangerous) may be encountered in parks, farms, private reserves and even on the roads.

• The Kruger National Park is exceptionally well managed and a favourite tourist destination.
• Kgalagadi Transfontier Park in the heart of the Kalahari desert with wide open spaces and hordes of games including the majestic 'Gemsbok'. This is the first park in Africa to cross political borders.
• There are also a large number of smaller parks, like the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Pilanesberg National Park or the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park.

See African Flora and Fauna and South African National Parks for additional information.

There are many geographical features and landmarks in South Africa worth a visit.

• The Augrabies Falls carved out by the Orange River in the Northern Cape
• The Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga is the third largest Canyon in the world.
• The Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world, located in the Drakensberg
• The Drakensberg Escarpment and surrounding areas in Mpumalanga
• The most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas
• The Garden Route - One of the top destinations, running along the Southern Coast from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth.
• The Drakensberg mountain range, if you like hiking
• The Whale Coast along the Overberg Coast from Hermanus past Gansbaai to De Hoop Nature Reserve

There are hiking trails available in almost all the parks and around geographical places of interest. Hiking in South Africa contains information on those.

With 2798km of coastline one can also except to find excellent beaches and coastal activities.

• Durban, not only the beaches, but also the Indian market.
• Port Elizabeth for swimming and scuba diving and other water related activities.
• Jeffreys Bay, the surfing mecca of South Africa

Other places not to miss include

• Cape Town - the mother city is a must. Be sure to visit its famous landmarks Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope
• The famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek.
• The semi-desert Karoo and the famous ostrich farms near Oudtshoorn, as well as the Big Hole in the diamond city of Kimberley.
• Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of Africa

A number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites are also located in South Africa

• The Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg is a must see for anyone interested in where it all started.A large collection of caves rich in hominid and advanced ape fossils.
• Robben Island just off the coast from Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.
• The Cape Flora Region in the Overberg
• Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, [2]
• Mapungubwe Kingdom, [3] in the North-West
• Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, [4], for its landscape, biodiversity and rock art.
• Vredefort Dome, remnants of the largest and oldest meteorite impact crater.

Culture and History

If you want to travel in southern Africa then South Africa is a good place to start. While you can fly into any country in southern Africa, most flights will route through South Africa anyway. South Africa is also a good place to get used to travelling in the region (though some would argue that Namibia is better for that). Of course South Africa is not only a jumping off point, it is itself a superb destination rich in culture, fauna & flora and history.

Outsiders' views of South Africa are coloured by the same stereotypes as the rest of Africa. Contrary to popular belief, South Africa is not devastatingly poor with an unstable government that is rapidly going to pot. Although the rural part of South Africa remains among the poorest and the least developed parts of the world and poverty in the townships can be appalling, progress is being made. The process of recovering from apartheid, which lasted almost 46 years, is quite slow. South Africa boasts a well-developed infrastructure and has all the modern amenities and technologies. The government is stable, although corruption is common. The government and the primary political parties all have a high level of respect for democratic institutions and human rights.

History

The tip of Africa has been home to the Koisan (collective name for Hottentot(Koi) and Bushmen(San)) people for thousands of years. Their rock art can still be found in many places throughout South Africa. Bantu tribes started expanding into Southern Africa around 2500 years ago and by around 500 AD the different cultural groups as we know them today had been established in the area.

The first permanent European settlement was built after the Dutch East India Company reached the Cape of Good Hope in April 1652. In the late 1700's the Boers (the settling farmers) slowly started expanding into the interior. In 1795 Britain took control of the Cape and in 1820 a large group of British Settlers arrived in the region. In 1835 large numbers of Boers started out on the Groot Trek into the interior after becoming dissatisfied with the British rule. In the interior they established their own republics after a number of bloody conflicts with the local population.

Two wars for control over the region were fought between the Boers and the British in 1883 and 1899.

The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, consolidating the various Boer republics and British colonies. From this, the Republic of South Africa was formed in 1961. Non-Europeans were largely excluded in all these political changes and even with the creation of the Union were not given the right to vote. From 1948 additional apartheid laws were introduced to erode the right of the black population further.

In 1992, 68% of the voting white population voted in a referendum to have the apartheid system abolished. This was quickly followed by a new constitution in 1993 and the first fully democratic election in 1994.

Climate

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