ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA
Geography
South Africa, on the continent's southern tip, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and by the Indian Ocean on the south and east. Its neighbors are Namibia in the northwest, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the north, and Mozambique and Swaziland in the northeast. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an enclave within the southeast part of South Africa, which occupies an area nearly three times that of California.The southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas, located in the Western Cape Province about 100 mi (161 km) southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.
South Africa is demarcated into nine provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own capital
Administrative capital (2003 est.): Pretoria, 1,541,300 (metro. area), 1,249,700 (city proper); Legislative capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3,140,600 (metro. area), 2,733,000 (city proper). Judicial capital: Bloemfontein, 378,000
Population
South Africa is a nation of over 47-million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and beliefs.
According to the mid-2006 estimates from Statistics South Africa, the country's population stands at some 47.4-million, up from the census 2001 count of 44.8-million.
Africans are in the majority at 37.7-million, making up 79.5% of the total population. The white population is estimated at 4.4-million (9.2%), the coloured population at 4.2-million (8.9%) and the Indian/Asian population at 1.2-million (2.5%).
The South African population consists of the following groups: the Nguni (consisting of the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi people); the Sotho-Tswana, who include the Southern, Northern and Western Sotho (Tswana people); the Tsonga; Venda; Afrikaners; English; Coloureds; Indians; and those who have immigrated to South Africa from the rest of Africa, Europe and Asia and maintain a strong cultural identity. A few members of the Khoi and the San also live in South Africa.
Climate
South Africa is famous for its sunshine. Generally speaking, April and May are usually the most pleasant months. The rainy season over the summer-rainfall region has then ended, while it has not yet really begun in the winter-rainfall area. The hot summer weather has abated and the winds are lighter than during the rest of the year. In certain areas, however, notably the hot, humid KwaZuluNatal coast, Mpumalanga and the Northern Province, June and July are the ideal holiday months.Climate of provincial capitals |
||||||||
Average temperature oC |
Average hours of sunshine |
Average rainfall (mm) |
Average number of rain days |
|||||
January |
July |
January |
July |
January |
July |
January |
July |
|
Western Cape |
20,9 |
12,2 |
338 |
193 |
15 |
82 |
6 |
12 |
Eastern Cape |
22,1 |
13,8 |
? |
? |
62 |
31 |
13 |
5 |
Northern Cape |
25,3 |
10,8 |
307 |
287 |
57 |
7 |
10 |
2 |
Free State |
23,0 |
7,7 |
296 |
273 |
83 |
8 |
11 |
2 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
22,9 |
12,9 |
185 |
251 |
141 |
11 |
18 |
3 |
North-West |
24,1 |
12,0 |
280 |
285 |
117 |
3 |
13 |
1 |
Gauteng |
20,1 |
10,4 |
250 |
284 |
125 |
4 |
16 |
1 |
Mpumalanga |
24,0 |
14,8 |
216 |
265 |
127 |
10 |
14 |
2 |
Northern Province |
22,6 |
12,2 |
253 |
279 |
82 |
3 |
10 |
1 |
Links to usefull websites:
SOUTH AFRICAN DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSSOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT ON LINE
POCKET GUIDE
SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS AND MEDIA
SOUTH AFRICAN YEARBOOK
STUDY SOUTH AFRICA
SPEECHES
