The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Lesotho is an enclave entirely surrounded by South African territory.
South Africa has experienced a significantly different evolution from other nations in Africa as a result of two facts.
Firstly, immigration from Europe reached levels not experienced in other African communities.
Secondly, the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route, as emphasised by the closure of the Suez Canal during the Six Day War, and mineralogical wealth made the country extremely important to Western interests, particularly during the Cold War.
As a result of the former, South Africa is a very racially diverse nation. It has the largest population of people of Coloured (i.e., mixed racial background), White, and Indian communities in Africa. Black South Africans account for slightly less than 80% of the population.Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in the country's history and politics, culminating in apartheid, which was instituted in 1948 by the National Party, although segregation existed prior to that date.
The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990 after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including economic sanctions from the international community) by the Black majority as well as many White, Coloured, and Indian South Africans.
The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century; however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994.
The economy of South Africa is the largest and best developed on the continent, with modern infrastructure common throughout the country.
South Africa is often referred to as The Rainbow Nation - a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later elaborated upon by then-President Nelson Mandela as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology.
GAUTENG
Gauteng Province stretches from Pretoria, in the North, to Vereeniging, in the South.
Johannesburg is the capital of the Gauteng province in South Africa and is considered to be the unofficial commercial capital of South Africa Johannesburg was founded in 1886, when gold was discovered in the area, and since then there have been four main "phases" of Development.
KWA ZULU NATAL
KwaZulu-Natal’s great wealth of environmental beauty and resources is now firmly established as one of the world's most protected places. KwaZulu-Natal’s expertly managed Nature Conservations and Game Parks ensure not only the protection of our fauna and flora but also provide an incredible outdoor experience.
LIMPOPO
South Africa's tourist friendly Limpopo Province was originally named Northern Transvaal.The name was changed to Northern Province and was thereafter changed to Limpopo Province at the turn of the century. Both of the first two names were chosen because this is the most northern province in South Africa.
MPUMALANGA
One of South Africa's major tourist destinations is found in the South African Province of Mpumalanga, which means 'Place where the sun rises', and is bordered by Mozambique and Swaziland in the east, and Gauteng in the west. Mpumalanga in South Africa is a sought after tourist destination, abounding in accommodation establishments, places to see, and things to do.
WESTERN CAPE
The Cape Colony of the future South Africa was established by the Dutch East India Company (not by the Netherlands, as is often mistakenly presumed) in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied in 1795, and finally just taken in 1806 by the British - the period immediately before and during the Napoleonic Wars.
In addition to these 9 provinces, South Africa is bordered by Mozambique and Swaziland. Both countries have a rich cultural heritage, fascinating history and some amazing tourist attractions
MOZAMBIQUE
The first inhabitants of Mozambique were of the Khoisani people, viz. San hunter gatherers. The Nguni (Bantu) people migrated southwards, from the north of Africa,crossing the Zambezi River valley, which was a major barrier, and down the coastal plain during the first millennium of the Christian era viz. the first to the fourth centuries AD. They then gradually spread into the plateau and coastal areas of South Eastern Africa.
SWAZILAND
The magnificent mountains, rivers and waterfalls make the country the most attractive and lovely place people would love to see.
There are various indigenous things to do and place-to-see in Swaziland including adventure activities such as horse riding, bird watching/trails safaris, walking/hiking, fishing, mountain quad biking and bushman paintings.
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