Private guides and guided tours in South Africa

South Africa

CAPITAL CITY OF South Africa: Pretoria
LANGUAGE OF South Africa: English
CURRENCY OF South Africa: Rand
COMMENTS ABOUT South Africa:

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent.
Cities : Pretoria (capital), Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Upington
Best Places : The Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfontier Park, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Pilanesberg National Park or the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, The Augrabies Falls, The Blyde River Canyon, The Tugela Falls, The Drakensberg Escarpment, The Garden Route,The Drakensberg mountain range, The Whale Coast, Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay, The semi-desert Karoo, Robben Island, Mapungubwe Kingdom
Visas/Passport : Most nationalities get up to 3 months entry on arrival.
Eat : Braaivleis, Pap, Potjiekos, Boerewors, Biltong and Droewors, Bunny chows, Bobotie, Marog, Waterblommetjiebredie, Masonja
Electricity : 220-240V/50HZ (South Africa plug)
Calling Code : +27
Time zone : SAST (UTC+2) After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.

CLIMATE OF South Africa: The climate in South Africa ranges from desert and semi-desert in the north west of the country to sub-tropical on the eastern coastline.
RELIGION OF South Africa: According to the latest 2001 national census, Christians accounted for 79.7% of the population. This includes Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal (Charismatic) 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, and other Christian 36%.
POPULATION OF South Africa: 42,718,530
note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8% underenumeration based on a postenumeration survey); estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%>>>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF South Africa: South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. High crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income.