Travel To The Republic of South Africa – Southern Africa
South Africa has been called “the Rainbow Nation,” and it ranks amongst the world’s top 25 trading nations and largest producers of gold, diamonds and other minerals. The world’s largest uncut diamond was found at Kimberley in 1974. South Africa’s past President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island near Cape Town. His greatest pleasure, his most private moment, is watching the sun set with the music of Handel or Tchaikovsky playing. Locked up in his cell during daylight hours, deprived of music, both these simple pleasures were denied him for decades. South Africa gained its independence on 31 May 1910 from the United Kingdom.
South Africa is divided into nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Northern Province, North-West and Western Cape. The largest city is Johannesburg, City of Gold. The Legislative Capital is Cape Town; the Judicial Capital is Bloemfontein; and the Administrative Capital is Pretoria.
There are 11 official languages in South Africa: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sotho (Sotho is only divided into Southern & Northern Sotho, when it comes to schools), Swazi, Tsongo, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu and Pedi. The English-speaking visitor will have no problem while traveling through the country.
The average temperature range over most of the country remains comfortable. The coastal climate ranges from Mediterranean in the Cape coastal belt, mild all year round, to subtropical in KwaZulu-Natal. A high inland plateau gives much of the interior a bracing and sunny climate. The average daily hours of sunshine are among the highest in the world (8,5 hours). Midwinter falls in June and July; midsummer in December and January.
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas.
Discover the immense diversity of South Africa, a land full of rich cultural heritage, friendly people, spectacular wildlife and stunning landscapes. South Africa is truly famous for its mixture of cultures, heritages and traditions that are blended together through its festivals, music and foods. You will also find that there is much more than a traditional safari experience to see the “Big Five” in South Africa. You can also enjoy first-class hotel accommodations, pristine beaches, luxurious train rides, or even a walking safari in South Africa. South Africa is a land of breathtaking scenery – from the amazing mixture of bustling cities to the rural village life, to the cascading waterfalls to the colorful fields of wildflowers, to the majestic mountains to the awesome coastline, it is simply awesome. South Africa has perhaps the African continent’s most sophisticated tourism infrastructure which, combined with first world technology, creates tremendous comfort and convenience for western tourists.
South Africa, on the continent’s southern tip, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and by the Indian Ocean on the south and east. Its neighbors are Namibia in the northwest, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland in the northeast. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an enclave within the southeast part of South Africa, which occupies an area nearly three times that of California. Click here to see a map of South Africa.
The Rand is the currency in South Africa, whereas one US dollar equals approximately 8 Rand. For actual conversion rates, visit Oanda.com and perform a conversion for the ‘South African Rand.’
Passport is required.