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Interesting Facts about South Africa |
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Read more about the background and history of the different facets of South Africa and find out everything you want to know about the country.
It will really help you to understand our country and its people so much better and further enhance your South Africa experience.
Part of it can be funny, much of it is quite serious. Read it, you will surely enjoy it.
Just click on any of the subjects below.
View from space of South Africa at the southern tip of Africa
Interesting Facts about South Africa
South Africa is situated at the southern end of the African continent. There, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. The country has an exceptionally varied and spectacular landscape, combined with a high level of biodiversity. Nearly all of the interior consists of a huge plateau with long ranges of mountains separating it from the country's long coastline.
The administrative structure of our country consists of 5 regions, 9 provinces, and three capitals, with Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein respectively as the administrative, legislative and judicial capital. The economic and commercial center is Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. An excellent road and rail network connects all the major centers together.
One has to feel and live the rhythm of the new rainbow culture of South Africa, a melting pot of European, African, Indian and many other cultures put together. From ancient rock art sites to modern galleries, from cultural villages to museums, from open air festivals to jazz clubs and many more.
Venues ranging from deep bushveld to outdoor theatres, from botanical gardens to luxurious theatre complexes and night clubs. These are some of the ways you can live, feel and experience our South African culture. There are all together seven World Heritage sites in South Africa, proclaimed by Unesco's world heritage committee as "places of outstanding value to humanity".
Bushman family, members of South Africa's most ancient culture
copyright © South African tourism
South Africa is home to almost 48 million people, a population of highly diverse origins, backgrounds and cultures. Signs of the very first population in the country in the form of human fossils, have been dated as far back as 3,5 million years ago by archaeologists.
The earliest population in South Africa that we can identify and name, and whose descendents are still part of our population today, are the San and the Khoi people. Collectively called the Khoisan people. They have been living in our country for thousands of years, but are now threatened by extinction. South Africa's people can be identified as follows; 79% Black, 9,6% White, 8,9% Colored and 2,5% Indian/Asian.
South Africa has 11 official languages and scores of unofficial ones besides. South Africa has 11 official languages and scores of unofficial ones besides. Some of these are mutually understood, with many South Africans speaking more than one besides their own language.
Although each language is equal in status towards the other, the English language has emerged as the most widely used of them all. Next to its use as the main medium of instruction in Universities and Schools, it is also being used in official documents, on road signs and in commerce and industry. In addition to their own language, almost all South Africans speak and understand English.
Young South Africans, the future of our country
Interesting Facts about South Africa - copyright © South African tourism
In general South Africa is blessed with a lovely and mild climate, comprising gorgeously sunny and warm weather, without being sweltering, and with mild winters. Do take note of the fact that the South African seasons are the reverse to those in the northern hemisphere. So,yes,you can spend Christmas on the beach in our country.
The regions with the most distinctive patterns with regard to climate and weather conditions are the interior and northern parts of the country with very warm summertime days cooled down by regular afternoon thunder showers, and crispy cool but sunny winters, the south eastern and eastern coastal region with its subtropical beach weather and moderate winters and lastly the Western cape climate with its changeable Mediterranean character, consisting of windy springs, warm summers and wet chilly winters.
When one mentions the words "South African flora", the picture of a typical South African savannah landscape, with its more or less dense scattering of thorn trees and shrubs, comes to mind most of the time. A picture that most South Africans carry in their hearts. However, it's much more than that.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of bio-diversity in the world and is home to an astonishing variety of plants, comprising 22,000 species, many of them endemic. Worldwide ours is the only country that is home to an entire floral kingdom inside its borders, the Cape Floral Kingdom in the Eastern and Western Cape. It comprises 8,600 species, of which more than 6,000 are indigenous. The Cape Peninsula just by itself holds a larger variety of floral species than the whole of Great Britain.
South Africa is the natural habitat of many species of animals, including more than 500 bird species, more than 300 animal species, over 100 reptile species and innumerable insect species. Our most well-known four-legged inhabitants are of course the Big Five. The Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion and Rhino. The days when one could see large herds of Impalas, Wildebeest (Gnu's), Zebra, Giraffe and many other species move through South Africa's country side, are long past.
Because our country has a long track record of safeguarding and conserving our animal population by means of nature reserves and national parks, it remains blessed with abundant wildlife. South Africa's seas are rich in fish species, more then 2,000 to be exact, comprising 16% of the total number of species worldwide. Probably the most spectacular and terrifying of these is the great White Shark. There is an abundance of bird species and snakes are a common occurrence in most parts of the country.
King Protea, royal member of the unique South African Cape Floristic Kingdom
Interesting Facts about South Africa - copyright © South African tourism
South Africa's health care standards are exceptionally high, meeting world standards without a problem. Facilities are much similar as those found in the USA and in Europe. The health care structure in South Africa consists of a limited yet fast-growing private sector component and a large public sector component. We do not have a national health scheme in our country. Medical insurance in South Africa is a matter of private and individual responsibility, by means of private medical scheme insurers who offer a variety of choices.
For those who cannot afford medical insurance, there is the public health sector, consisting of a structure of provincial and academic hospitals throughout the country, supported by a fast-developing network of primary and preventative health care facilities and services at grass-roots level, close to where it is needed. Using up more or less 11% of the national budget, the public health care sector is for the most part financed by the government.
South Africa's new post-apartheid democracy is built upon a new constitution that is considered as one of the most modern and progressive worldwide, with a "Bill of Rights" second to none. The country has a parliamentary government structure, and an independent judiciary. The government is decentralized in national, provincial and local levels of government, each with its own legislature and executive, all based on a system of cooperation and interdependence.
The three-level structure of government has been chosen and structured to acknowledge the diversity of the needs and concerns of the population of South Africa, each level with its own distinctive framework of powers and responsibilities.
The national level of government consists of the National Parliament with 400 members elected by popular vote and the National Council of Provinces with 90 provincial representatives, 10 from each province, nominated by their respective provincial legislatures. South Africa is a republic with a president as head of state and head of the cabinet. The president is elected by the National Parliament for a term of five years. He can be elected for a second term, but that is the constitutional maximum that he is allowed to serve.
Union Buildings in Pretoria, office of the State President and his executive
Interesting Facts about South Africa - copyright © South African tourism
The earliest known civilization in South Africa, were the San and the khoi peoples, collectively known as the khoisan. They inhabited the southern tip of the African continent thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived at our coasts. Africa populations in central and northern Africa were growing fast, necessitating enlargement of territory, which led to the migration of black African peoples to Southern Africa. Scientists believe that this process of migration started some 2000 years ago, hundreds of years before the first Europeans landed on our beaches.
They were Jan van Riebeeck and his 90 men, under instruction from the Dutch East India Company, to build a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope for their eastern trading route. This was the start of a colonial expansion process, that eventually led to the settlement of a white population over virtually all what is today South Africa. With the arrival of the Europeans in the country, the seeds of racial strife and conflict were sown.
Seeds that grew and developed in the form of ever growing white domination over the coloured population. This resulted in the infamous era of apartheid and freedom struggle. At the end it was victory to the freedom struggle and defeat of apartheid in February 1990, when Nelson Mandela and all other political prisoners were released from prison. The first free and democratic government under one of the most progressive constitutions was elected in April 1994.
The industrialization of south Africa commenced with the discovery of gold in 1886 on the Witwatersrand. Together with the earlier discovery of diamonds it formed the foundation on which South Africa developed into the economic power station of Africa as it is today, with a GDP that is equal to 25% of the total GDP of the whole of Africa. South Africa's highly developed financial and physical infrastructure presents the perfect investment platform for access and entry into markets of other African countries.
Cornerstone sectors of our country's economy are; MINING, as the world's biggest producer of gold and platinum, MANUFACTURING, adding value to its wealth of minerals and base materials and TOURISM, as one of the world's most favorite travel destinations. The country's thriving and bustling informal economy represents untapped potential for its future economic development.
Expected economic growth (2012) = 3,2%, expected consumer price inflation (2012) = 5,6%, expected growth of investment (2012) = 6%, Unemployment (2012) = around 25%. Largest trade and investment partner = Europe. South Africa is entering a period of strong growth and is expected to achieve a sustained sustained growth rate of 5% or more.
Goldmining in South Africa, one of the corner stones of South Africa's economy
Interesting Facts about South Africa - copyright © South African tourism
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comprising 28 000 schools, 386 000 teachers and 12 million learners, South Africa has a well-developed first world standard education system. Of all the schools, which include 1200 registered private schools and 390 special needs schools, six thousand are secondary schools, while the others are primary schools.
With an enrollment of over a million students, the countries higher education domain which includes 21 Universities, 15 Technicons, is very much alive and dynamic. They are independent, reporting to their own governing bodies rather than being controlled by government. Many of our universities are world-class academic institutions, at the forefront of scientific research in a number of spheres.
South Africa is very fortunate to have a climate that is perfectly suited for outdoor sporting activities. It comes as no surprise that the vast majority of South Africans have always had a great passion for sport, taking their country to become one of the top performers in the world It is common knowledge that sport has been a major contributing factor in uniting the country and its people going through the transformation from Apartheid to a new totally free democracy.
Rugby, Cricket and Football (Soccer) are just a few of the major sports that South Africa has excelled in. For close on a century, the country has regularly fielded teams of world-beating class. It is the game of football or soccer however, that has won the hearts of most of the black population. But the list of sport activities in our country goes wider. Our country has bred world-beating stars in quite a number of sports, like Golf, Boxing, Ultra marathon running and Athletics, besides others.
South Africa has proved itself on the world stage as a country capable of not only playing sport at international top level, but also of hosting large international sporting events, like the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 World Cricket Cup. South Africa's hosting of the 2010 Football World Championship was a huge success.
The Wanderers Cricket ground in Johannesburg
Interesting Facts about South Africa - copyright © South African tourism
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