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 Situated at the southernmost tip of the
African continent, the Republic of South Africa covers an area of 1, 219,090
km², nearly five times the size of the United Kingdom. It is
bordered by Namibia,
Botswana,
Zimbabwe,
Mozambique and
Swaziland, and contains the
landlocked country of Lesotho within its borders. It stretches almost 2 000 km
from the Limpopo River in the north to Cape Agulhas, the most southerly tip of
Africa, and approximately 1 500 km from Port Nolloth in the west to Durban in
the east.
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Capital |
Population |
Area |
Language |
Religion |
Currency |
Major Airports |
Other |
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Pretoria |
55, 000, 000 |
1, 219, 090 km2 |
English |
Indigenous Beliefs |
Rand |
Johannesburg |
Left-hand Driving |
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Administrative |
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Afrikaans |
Christian |
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Cape Town |
GMT + 2 |
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1, 300, 000 |
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Indigenous |
Muslim |
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Durban |
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CAPE
PENINSULA |
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South Africa is a multi-cultural society, coloured
by a rich history. The first democratic elections in 1994 and the subsequent
re-admittance of the country onto the world stage have revitalized the arts in
South Africa. South Africa's architecture is diverse. Buildings range from
beautiful Cape Dutch homesteads, and Georgian and Victorian homes in the English
style, to traditional Sotho and Ndebele mud huts with their distinctive,
colourful geometric designs, and unique Zulu grass huts. Art in South Africa
includes Khoi-San rock paintings that date from centuries ago and are well
preserved at various sights around the country. Traditional crafts, such as
beadwork, pottery and weaving, have been handed down from generation to
generation. Samples are widely available at craft markets. Museums and
galleries display exhibitions that reflect a wide diversity of South African
art. Theatres, including the State Theatre in Pretoria, the Playhouse in
Durban, the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town and the Sand du Plessis Theatre in
Bloemfontein, stage various productions, including contemporary domestic plays,
classical productions, concerts, opera and ballet. South African popular music
reveals a unique mixture of African, Asian and European influences. Marabi
(township jazz) is a product of the urban settlements that are a feature of
South African cities. Its distinctive sounds can be heard in the music of Hugh
Masekela, the African Jazz Pioneers, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba and
others. South African dance reflects a close relationship with nature.
Performing outdoors, the participants are in close contact with the spirits of
their ancestors and with the Deity. Dancing is a social gathering in which
observers, dancers and musicians all take part.
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South Africa National Parks
(SAN Parks) manages a system
of parks, which represents the indigenous fauna, flora, landscapes and
associated cultural heritage of the country. Of the 20 national parks, 14 have
overnight tourist facilities, offering an unrivalled variety of accommodation in
arid, coastal, mountain and bushveld habitats. SANParks offers visitors an
unparalleled diversity of adventure tourism opportunities
including game-viewing, bush walks, canoeing and exposure to
cultural and historical experiences. |
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ROVOS RAIL |
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The Cape
Peninsula stretches over an area of 457 square km. Table Mountain, which
is part of the Table Mountain National Park, is one of South Africa's premier
tourist attractions. The exhilarating ascent up Table Mountain is a must
for any visitor. Access on foot via hiking trails such as Platteklip
Gorge, Kasteelspoort or Skeleton Gorge, requires a fair degree of fitness, while
the more leisurely option is via the ultra modern cableway. The Table
Mountain Cableway, reached via Kloof Nek Road or by bus which leaves from
Adderley Street, operates daily from 08:30 to 18:00 and from Dec. to Jan from
08:00 to 22:00, weather permitting. At the upper cableway station, there
is a restaurant, souvenir shop and post-box. From the various look-out
points on the top of the mountain, there are breathtaking views of the city
below, the peninsula and Robben Island.
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Rovos Rail's unique safaris allow guests
to experience the extravagant elegance of the golden age of rail travel
on the most luxurious train in the world. The beautifully restored
trains, consisting of four royal suites and 32 deluxe suites, house a
maximum of 72 passengers. Accommodation is of the highest
standard, combining the opulence of pre-war travel with subtle modern
innovations. The variety of routes includes the 13-day Dar Es
Salaam sojourn, the two day trip between Cape Town and Pretoria, the
55-hour Game Safari from Pretoria to Durban, the 48-hour meander between
Pretoria and the Victoria Falls, the 24-hour route between Cape Town and
George, the seven-day Namibian special, the nine-day Collage between
Pretoria, Malelane, Durban and Cape Town or the nine-day Golf Safari.
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SOUTH
AFRICA'S BIG 5 |
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WINE REGIONS |
Among the many attractions South Africa has to offer is a visit to one of the
scenic wine regions, most of which are found in the
Western Cape. In fact the oldest
vineyards in the world, outside of Europe and the Middle East, are found here.
Wine production in South Africa dates back to 1659, seven years after Jan van Riebeeck set up a trading station at Table Bay. Blessed with a Mediterranean
climate, the Cape's vineyards enjoy varying conditions during the ripening
period from the very hot inland areas to the cool coastal and mountain regions.
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The term Big Five originated in the hunting jargon for the most dangerous trophy
animals to hunt on foot. The Big Five occur in many of the game reserves in
southern Africa. From a tourism perspective, the whale is often added to this
list, forming the tourism “Big Six”, due to the world-class whale-watching
opportunities that South Africa has to offer. Lions are the.....
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