South Africa is a diverse country with 11 official languages and a variety of ethnic groups and religions. It has a rich history, including apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as president. The country’s cuisine, music, and art reflect its diversity. South Africa has a mild climate and many points of interest, including major cities, wine regions, museums, and national parks. The currency is the rand, and it is relatively inexpensive for Americans to travel there.
South Africa is located at the southern tip of the African continent. Its capital, Pretoria, is located in the northeastern region of the country. South Africa is mostly bordered by water, with the Indian Ocean to the east and the South Atlantic Sea to the west. It also shares borders with Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland. Including the Prince Edward Islands, the country boasts 2,298 km (about 1,428 mi) of coastline and a total expanse of 1,219,912 square km (about 471,011 sq mi).
Colonized by both the Dutch and the British, South Africa finally regained its independence in 1910. Apartheid, introduced in 1948, physically and legally separated ethnic groups within the country. In 1990, President FW de Klerk declared the end of apartheid and long-imprisoned rebel Nelson Mandela was freed. Mandela, a world-renowned figure of freedom and equality, was elected president of South Africa in the country’s first all-race election.
South Africa is very diverse. There are a variety of ethnic groups, although the majority of the population is black African. Numerous religions are also represented in the country including Zion Christian, Pentecostal/Charismatic, Catholic, Methodist, Dutch Reformed, Anglican, Muslim, Hindu and other Christian groups. The languages are also diverse, with eleven officially recognized languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Of these official languages, the four most widely used are Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English, respectively.
The country’s ethnic diversity contributes to a colorful variety of musical, culinary and artistic trends. The cuisine is heavily meat based and barbecues, or braais, are a popular social pastime. Music has regained a new voice in South Africa since the end of apartheid. Musicians who previously sang in Afrikaans or English now produce lyrics in native African languages.
South Africa is known for its abundant sunshine and mild climate. Most regions are warm, temperate and relatively dry. The West Cape gets rain in the winter, while the rest of the country gets rain in the summer.
When travelling, points of interest include the major cities of Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Thirteen of the country’s major wine regions can be visited via the Stellenbosch Wine Route. More than 300 museums educate natives and tourists, including the National Cultural History Museum in Pretoria, the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg, and the Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein. While these are some of the more established museums in the country, smaller independent museums also house a variety of collections, from weaving art to beer. The landscape is particularly picturesque and can be enjoyed by visiting one of the country’s many national parks, including Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Kruger National Park.
The currency in South Africa is known as the rand. Although exchange rates fluctuate constantly, the rate of rand per US dollar (USD) varied between 6.3 and 6.8 between 2004 and 2006. In general, this means that the US dollar would have yielded around 6.5 rand, thus making the South Africa a relatively inexpensive travel destination for Americans.
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