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South Africa Provinces
The Republic of South Africa is located at
the extreme southern end of the African continent, with a
long coastline that stretches for more than 2500 km along
two major international waterfronts -the Atlantic and the
Indian Oceans. The country is bordered by Namibia to the far
northwest, Botswana to the immediate north, and Zimbabwe,
Swaziland and Mozambique to the northeast.
The country is commonly referred to as The
Rainbow Nation- a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
which H.E. Mr. Nelson Mandela elaborated to describe the country's
newly developing multi cultural diversity. They owe their
wealth of cultural multiplicity to their rich ethnicity largely
represented by the Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho (South Sotho), Bapedi
(North Sotho), Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi and Ndebele.
South Africa divides into nine provinces,
holding a population of over 45 million people of diverse
origins, languages and beliefs. 11 official languages are
spoken here. The tongues include Afrikaans, Zulu, Ndebele,
Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda,
Xhosa and English. Other non official spoken dialects are:
Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San
and South African sign language.
Though generally classified as semi arid,
South Africa experiences varied climatic and topographic conditions.
It knows the beauty and wealth of more than 20,000 different
plants and a large agricultural sector. The country is also
known for its excellent winds which blow intermittently all
year. It also enjoys the luxury of over 300 nature and game
reserves along with some of the finest lodges and hotels in
Africa.
South Africa nurtures some of the oldest archaeological
sites in Africa. History in its entirety dating from as far
back as about 3million years ago! Extensive fossil remains
suggest that various australopithecines existed in this part
of the world eons ago. These were succeeded by various species
of Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.
Discovery of gold in 1886 and diamond in 1867
has gone a long way to put South Africa on the international
map. This has over the years encouraged economic growth and
immigration, intensifying economic expansion. The economy
of South Africa is the largest and best developed the continent
over, with modern infrastructure and well placed utilities.
The country is one of the few in Africa with
no history of coup d'états. The political situation
is stable, encouraging tourism with its assortment of touristy
appeals -making it an exciting place to vacation. The country's
natural attractions are as alluring as ever; the green vineyards
and rocky coast of the Cape; the arid landscape of the Karoo;
the rich farmlands of Gauteng and Mpumalanga; the snowcapped
peaks of the Drankensderg range; the verdant hills, wide beaches
and battlefields of Kwazulu-Natal; the wilds and game-life
of Kruger and so much more as the list goes on and on.
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