country guide
South Africa Country Guide
Name
South Africa
Full Name
Republic of South Africa
South Africa is 471, 011 square miles in size (over 1.2 Million square kilometres).
It borders Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Namibia and surrounds Lesotho.
South Africa’s capitals are Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative) and Bloemfontein (Judicial) and has a population of approximately 48.7 Million (est. 2008).
South Africa has had a somewhat turbulent history with the apartheid laws causing many uprisings and disturbances. 1992 saw the abolishment of the apartheid laws.
South Africa is one of the leading African countries with a growing economy and set to host the 2010 World Cup (the first African country to do so).
Capital
Cape Town – Legislative, Pretoria – Executive, Bloemfontein - Judical
Largest City
Johannesburg
Population
48.7 Million (est. 2008)
Area
1,221,037 km²
Languages Spoken
Afikanns, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swati, Tsongo
Religion
Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Indigenous Beliefs
Time Zone
GMT/UTC + 2
Currency
Rand (ZAR)
Dialing Code
+27
Internet Domain
.za