South Africa Travel

Quick  Facts about South Africa
Republic; Since 31 May 1961
Capital; – Administrative; Pretoria
- Legislative; Cape Town
- Judicial; Bloemfontein
Motto; Unity in Diversity
Largest City; Johannesburg
Colonial Master; United Kingdom
Government type; Constitutional Democracy
Official Languages; Afrikaans, English, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Tsonga, and Swazi
Total coverage Area; 1, 219, 912 sq km
Population; 49.3 million (2009 estimate)
National Currency; Rand
Discovering South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is one of the most diverse, enchanting countries in the world. Exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture offer the traveler a unique experience. South Africa lies at the southernmost part of the African continent with a 2,798km coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is bordered to the north by Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the northeast by Mozambique and Swaziland and to the northwest by Namibia. South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho.
Topography

At 1,219,912 sq km, South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world; comparable in size to Colombia. Most of South Africa’s landscape has elevations of over 914m (3,000 ft) and at least 40% of the surface is at an elevation of over 1,220m (4,000 ft). Parts of Johannesburg are 1,829m (6,000 ft) above sea level. Resembling an inverted saucer, the land rises steadily from west to east to the Drakensberg Mountains. The Drakensberg Mountains is the highest mountain range in South Africa.
Political & Administrative South Africa
South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. The country has a bicameral parliament; The Upper House (The National Council of Provinces) has 90 members, whereas the Lower House (The National Assembly) has 400 members. Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis by representation; half of the members are elected from national lists and the other half are elected from provincial lists. Ten members are elected to represent each province in the National Council of Provinces, regardless of the population of the province. Elections for both chambers are held every five years. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly is the President.

South Africa achieved its political autonomy in 1961 when it was declared a republic. The government legislated for a continuation of apartheid, despite opposition both in and outside of the country. South African politics have been dominated by the African National Congress (ANC), which has been the dominant party with 60–70% of the vote. The main competitor to the rule of the ANC is the Democratic Alliance Party, which managed 16.7% of the vote in the 2009 election and 14.8% in the 2006 election. Other major political parties represented in Parliament are The Congress of the People -which split from the ANC and won 7.4% of the vote in 2009, and The Inkatha Freedom Party which mainly represents Zulu voters and took 4.6% of the vote in the 2009 election.
Languages, Culture & Traditions

South Africa is a nation of more than 48 million people of diverse origins, languages, cultures and religious beliefs. It may be argued that there is no “single” culture in South Africa because of its ethnic diversity. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. Eleven official languages are recognized in the Constitution i.e. Pedi, Sotho, Tswana, Swazi, Venda, Tsonga, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa and Zulu. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life; however, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. Although 79.5% of the South African population is Black, this represents a variety of ethnic groups and different Bantu Languages, nine of which have official status. The last census was held in 2001 and the next will be in 2011. Statistics South Africa provided five racial categories by which people could classify themselves. South Africa is home to an estimated 5 million illegal immigrants, including some 3 million Zimbabweans. A series of anti-immigrant riots occurred in South Africa on 11 May 2008.
Climate
South Africa has a generally temperate climate, due in part to being surrounded by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans on three sides, by its location in the climatically milder Southern hemisphere and due to the average elevation rising steadily towards the north and further inland. Due to this varied topography and oceanic influence, a great variety of climatic zones exist.
The climatic zones vary, from the extreme desert of the southern Namib in the farthest northwest to the lush subtropical climate in the east along the Mozambique border and the Indian Ocean. From the east, the land quickly rises over a mountainous escarpment towards the interior plateau known as the Highveld. Even though South Africa is classified as semi-arid, there is considerable variation in climate as well as topography. The interior is a vast, flat, and sparsely populated. In contrast, the eastern coastline is lush and well-watered, which produces a climate similar to the tropics. The extreme southwest has a climate remarkably similar to that of the Mediterranean with wet winters and hot, dry summers, hosting the famous Fynbos Biome. This area also produces much of the wine in the country. This region is also particularly known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year. Further east on the south coast, rainfall is distributed more evenly throughout the year, producing a green landscape. This area is popularly known as the Garden Route.
Wildlife

South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world’s seventeen Megadiverse countries, with more than 20,000 different plants, or about 10% of all the known species of plants on Earth, making it particularly rich in plant biodiversity. The most prevalent biome in South Africa is the grassland, particularly on the Highveld, where the plant cover is dominated by different grasses, low shrubs, and acacia trees, mainly camel-thorn and whitethorn. Vegetation becomes even sparser towards the northwest due to low rainfall. There are several species of water-storing succulents like aloes and euphorbias in the very hot and dry Namaqualand area. The grass and thorn savannah turns slowly into a bush savannah towards the north-east of the country, with denser growth. There are significant numbers of baobab trees in this area, near the northern tip of Kruger National Park.
South Africa however is forest, almost exclusively in the humid coastal plain of Kwazulu Natal. There are even smaller reserves of forests that are out of the reach of fire, identified as montane forests.
Economy
South Africa is a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the entire region. South Africa is ranked 25th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) as of 2007.
Vast majority of South Africans are poor. However, key marginal areas have experienced rapid growth recently. Such areas include Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay; Rustenburg area; Nelspruit area; Bloemfontein; Cape West Coast; and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. Unemployment is extremely high and income inequality is approximately equal to Brazil. The average South African household income decreased considerably between 1995 and 2000.
South Africa is the largest energy producer and consumer on the continent. The South African rand (ZAR) is the most actively traded emerging market currency in the world. It has joined an elite club of fifteen currencies. About a quarter of the population is unemployed and lives on less than US$ 1.25 a day.
Agriculture
South Africa has a large agricultural sector and is a net exporter of farm products. There are almost a thousand cooperatives in the agricultural Sector throughout the country, and agricultural exports have constituted 8% of South African total exports for the past five years. The agricultural industry contributes around 10% of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, as well as providing work for casual laborers and contributing around 2.6% of GDP for the nation.
Tourism

Tourism in  South Africa
South Africa boasts some of the best, least crowded beaches in the world, renowned wildlife parks such as Kruger Park, beautiful natural scenery and a stable post-apartheid environment. South Africa’s immensely varied terrain supports a rich diversity of wildlife, plant life and birdlife, and offers an incomparable range of experiences and natural beauty for which tourists flock to the country. The country is a popular tourist destination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes from tourism. Among the main attractions are the diverse and picturesque culture, the game reserves and the highly regarded local wines.