Historic & Geographical Description
South Africa
With a population of just over 47 million, South Africa is made up of 9 Provinces, including Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo (sharing a boarder with Zimbabwe and Mozambique), the North-West (sharing a boarder with Botswana), the Northern Cape (sharing a boarder with Namibia), Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and Gauteng. Whilst KwaZulu Natal certainly has the highest population, it is in the Gauteng Province where the highest density of citizens live, with 19.2% of the total population occupying just 1.4% of the country’s land area. This province is home to Johannesburg and Pretoria, the commercial and governmental capitals of the country.
The 11 official languages are attributed to the 9 original tribes, as well as English and Afrikaans. Local dialects, however, tend to incorporate several languages, and it is safe to say that in 50 years time there will be a truly ‘New South African’ language. At present, you can easily get by with only English as a language.
The vastness of the country means that weather and landscape changes dramatically, from deserts in the Karoo, to the tropics of the North Eastern Coast. South Africa was established as a trading point, joining as it does two of the earth’s most powerful oceans: the Indian and the Atlantic. With a good 50% of the country existing 4,500 ft above sea level, South Africa is well know for its sprawling Savannahs (the highveld), game farms, mountain ranges and 4 ‘Blue Flag’ beaches.
