South Africa

Country Overview

South Africa is relatively remote from other high population centers since it’s thousands of miles from major African cities like Lagos, Nigeria and from the other continents. The country borders six other nations – Namibia to the northwest, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, Mozambique and Swaziland to the northeast and Lesotho which is entirely surrounded by South African land.

The country also borders two oceans – the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The islands of Prince Edward and Marion that are hundreds of miles off the coast are also part of South Africa. Overall, the country has a population of about 59 million people and its land is about twice the size of Texas.

The country has three capital cities that focus on separate governmental functions: Pretoria for executive, Cape Town for legislative and Bloemfontein for judicial.

South Africa has high plateaus covered with grasslands and tree-dotted plains. Adjacent to the plateau is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. However, the country’s location on the southern tip of Africa is what made the nation valuable to Europeans.

In the 1400s European ships headed to the Far East stopped for supplies in the region while rounding the tip of Africa. In the mid-1600s  the Netherlands created Cape Town and Dutch farmers called Boers settled in the area.

Eventually the British took control of the region following wars in Europe in 1806. A century later the laws that established apartheid were made. Prior to this time of colonization and division, hunter-gatherers lived in the region for hundreds of years.

Weather

South Africa has four seasons and is generally sunny and semi-arid. Most of the country only gets rain in the summer months of December – February.

Here are the average weather conditions, you’d expect to see in Cape Town from June-August.

Language

As mentioned above, the nation has 11 official languages. Here is a breakdown of language usage in South Africa from the CIA World Factbook:

• isiZulu (official) 25.3%
• isiXhosa (official) 14.8%
• Afrikaans (official) 12.2%
• Sepedi (official) 10.1%
• Setswana (official) 9.1%
• English (official) 8.1%
• Sesotho (official) 7.9%
• Xitsonga (official) 3.6%
• siSwati (official) 2.8%,
• Tshivenda (official) 2.5%
• isiNdebele (official) 1.6%
• Other (includes Khoi, Nama, and San languages) 2%

Note – Data represent language spoken most often at home (2018 est.)

Wildlife

10 Unique Animals Found in South Africa

Many travelers to South Africa enjoy searching for large animals while on safari, such as African elephants and lions. But the nation also has a host of lesser known endemic species.

The South African Town Where Penguins Rule

In Simon’s Town outside of Cape Town, 1,000 breeding pairs of African penguins nest on the beaches and in the local gardens.

Watch

Penguin Town

If you have Netflix, you can watch this cute documentary about the endangered African penguins.

Try

South African Bobotie Recipe

Follow this simple recipe to make South Africa’s national dish.