October 4, 2003

Official name: Republic of South Africa
Area: 1,222,081 sq km
Population: 39,357,000
Capital: Cape Town
Currency: Rand
Major Cities: Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Vereeniging, East London, Pietermaritzburg, Kimberley.
Independence Day: 31 May 1910
Major Exports: Metal products, gold, precious and semiprecious stones, mineral products and chemicals, natural cultured pearls, machinery and mechanical appliances, wool, maize, fruit, sugar.

 

South Africa lies on the southern tip of Africa, bounded north by Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe and northeast by Mozambique and Swaziland.


Physical features

South Africa consists primarily of a great plateau that occupies about two-thirds of the country. Three regions can be distinguished within the plateau: the Highveld, the Bushveld, and the Middle Veld. South Africa also includes a part of the Kalahari Desert in the northwest and a section of the Namib Desert in the west. River Orange, with a course of 2100 km, is the longest river in the country. Rising in Lesotho, it flows northwest, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Climate

South Africa has a mild, temperate climate. Most of the country is influenced by the easterly trade winds. These winds bring about 890 mm of rainfall every year to the Eastern Uplands. On the west coast, rainfall is as low as 51 mm annually. The average temperature in January is around 19°C to 24°C. While in July this may drop to around 9°C to 17°C. Snow is rare. Winter frosts may occur in the higher areas of the plateau.

 

Ethnicity

Three-quarters of the population of South Africa is composed of black Africans. The Zulu population is the largest of the black African groups. The Xhosa, Pedi or Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Shangaan-Tsonga, Swazi, Southern Ndebele, and Venda are the other main groups. Each has its own cultural heritage, language, and national identity. Whites are a minority population. They include descendants of English, Irish, and Scottish settlers and descendants of Dutch, German, and French colonials.

 

Language

Afrikaans (a Dutch derivation) is the first language of about three-fifths of all whites and most Coloured. English is also the first language of many. South Africa has 11 official languages. The languages spoken by black Africans are Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, and Ndebele, which form the Nguni language group; Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, and Tswana, which are Sotho languages; Tsonga; and Venda. Some black Africans also speak English or Afrikaans as their second language.

 

Government

The constitution provides for a National Assembly of 400 members and a 90-member Senate, consisting of 10 members from each regional assembly. The president, who is head of the state and government, is elected by the National Assembly and appoints a first deputy president, to act as premier, from the majority party within the Assembly, and a second deputy president from the second-largest party. Any party with 20 per cent of the national vote is entitled to nominate a deputy president. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the National Assembly.

 

Religion

Less than 50 per cent of the population follows Christianity. The rest follow their traditional religions. Most of the Coloured population is Muslim. The Asians in South Africa are mainly Hindus or Muslims.

 

Sports

South Africa’s rugby and cricket teams are among the best in the world. Other sports including soccer, squash, field hockey, boxing, swimming, sailing, tennis, lawn bowling, and golf are also enjoyed. Horse and car racing are popular spectator sports.

 

Diet

The general diet includes beef, mutton, and a variety of curries, green vegetables, pumpkins, potatoes and rice. Wine, tea, coffee, beer, and soft drinks are the common beverages. Biltong is dried spiced meat, which is a popular snack. Pap, maize meal porridge, is sometimes cooked with vegetables and meat. The braaivleis, or barbecue, is a popular weekend event and usually features boerewors (beef and pork sausage).