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South Africa, with its rich history and multitude of cultures, is a land of possibility and opportunity. Its biggest asset is undoubtedly its diverse mix of people proud of their heritage and the country’s remarkable achievements during the First Decade of Freedom. The country boasts some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, and features an amazing display of bird and wildlife species, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). South Africa is often called the Cradle of Humankind, for this is where archaeologists discovered 2,5-million-year-old fossils of our earliest ancestors, as well as 100 000-year-old remains of modern man.
The results of the second democratic Census (Census 2001) were released in July 2003. On the night of 10 October 2001, there were 44,819,778 people in South Africa. Of these, 79% classified themselves as African; 9.6% as White; 8.9% as Colored; and 2.5% as Indian/Asian. According to Statistics South Africa, there were an estimated 46,429,823 people in South Africa in 2003 (Mid-Year Estimates, 2003). Of these, 36,914 284 were Black, 4,131 096 Colored, while some 1,140,097 classified themselves as Indian and 4,244,346 as White. Of the total number of people in South Africa in 2003, 22,150,308 were male and 24,279,515 female. 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.
Almost 80% of South Africa' population adheres to the Christian faith. Other major religious groups are the Hindus, Muslims and Jews. A minority of South Africa's population does not belong to any of the major religions, but regard themselves as traditionalists or of no specific religious affiliation. Freedom of worship is guaranteed by the Constitution, and official policy is one of non-interference in religious practices. Link to Statistics SA
According to the South African Constitution, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996), everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of his or her choice, but no one may do so in a manner inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights. Each person also has the right to instruction in the language of his or her choice where this is reasonably practicable. Official languages The Constitution recognises 11 official languages, namely Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Recognizing the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages, the Constitution expects government to implement positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. According to Census 2001, isiZulu is the mother tongue of 23.8% of the population, followed by isiXhosa (17.6%), Afrikaans (13.3%), Sepedi (9.4%), and English and Setswana (8.2% each). The least-spoken indigenous language in South Africa is isiNdebele, which is spoken by 1.6% of the population.
The Republic of South Africa occupies the southernmost part of the African continent, stretching latitudinally from 22° to 35°S and longitudinally from 17° to 33° E. Its surface area is 1,219,090 km². It has common boundaries with the republics of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, while the Republic of Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland lie to the north-east. Completely enclosed by South African territory in the south-east, is the Kingdom of Lesotho. To the west, south and east, South Africa borders on the Atlantic and southern Indian oceans. Isolated, 1,920 km. south-east of Cape Town in the Atlantic, lie Prince Edward and Marion islands, annexed by South Africa in 1947.
South Africa is surrounded by sea to the west, south and east and has a lengthy coastline. This coastline is swept by two major ocean currents – the Mozambique Agulhas and the Benguela systems. The former is a warm, south-flowing current skirting the east and south coasts as far as Cape Agulhas. The Benguela Current is cold and flows northwards as far as southern Angola along the west coast. The contrast in temperature between these two currents partly accounts for important differences in climate and vegetation between the east and west coasts of South Africa. It also causes big differences in marine life, because the cold waters of the west coast are much richer in oxygen, nitrates, phosphates and plankton than those of the east coast. For this reason, the South African fishing industry is centered on the west coast.
The coastline itself is an even, closed one with few bays or indentations naturally suitable for harbors. The only ideal natural harbor along some 3,000 km. of coastline is Saldanha Bay on the west coast. However, the area lacks fresh water and offers no natural lines of penetration to the interior. Most river mouths are unsuitable for use as harbors because large sand bars block entry for most of the year. These bars are formed by the action of waves and currents, and the intermittent flow, heavy sediment load and steep gradients of most South African rivers. Only the largest rivers, such as the Orange and Limpopo, maintain narrow permanent channels through the bars. For much the same reasons, the country has no navigable rivers.
The surface area of South Africa falls into two major physiographic features: the interior plateau, and the land between the plateau and the coast. Forming the boundary between these two areas is the Great Escarpment, the most prominent and continuous relief feature in the country. Its height above sea level varies from approximately 1,500 m in the dolerite-capped Roggeveld scarp in the south-west to a height of 3,482 m in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg. Inland from the Escarpment lies the interior plateau, which is the southern continuation of the great African plateau stretching north to the Sahara. The plateau itself is characterized by wide plains with an average height of 1,200 m above sea level.
The subtropical location, on either side of 30°S, accounts for the warm temperate conditions so typical of South Africa. The country also falls squarely within the subtropical belt of high pressure, making it dry, with an abundance of sunshine. The wide expanses of ocean on three sides of South Africa have a moderating influence on its climate. More apparent, however, are the effects of the warm Agulhas and cold Benguela currents along the east and west coasts respectively. While Durban (east coast) and Port Nolloth (west coast) lie more or less on the same latitude, there is a difference of at least 6ºC in their mean annual temperatures. Gale-force winds are frequent on the coasts, especially in the south-western and southern coastal areas.
South Africa has an average annual rainfall of 464 mm, compared to a world average of 857 mm. Twenty-one% of the country has a total rainfall of less than 200 mm annually, 48% between 200 and 600 mm, while only some 30% records more than 600 mm. In total, 65% of the country has an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm – usually regarded as the absolute minimum for successful dry-land farming. In the capital city of the Western Cape, Cape Town, the average rainfall is highest in the winter months, while in the capital cities of the other provinces, the average rainfall is highest during summer.
Temperature conditions in South Africa are characterized by three main features. Firstly, temperatures tend to be lower than in other regions at similar latitudes, for example, North Africa and Australia. This is primarily due to the greater elevation above sea level of the subcontinent. Secondly, despite a latitudinal span of 13 degrees, average annual temperatures are remarkably uniform throughout the country. Owing to the increase in the height of the plateau towards the north-east, there is hardly any increase in temperature from south to north as might be expected. The third feature is the striking contrast between temperatures on the east and west coasts. Temperatures above 32ºC are fairly common in summer, and frequently exceed 38ºC in the lower Orange River valley and the Mpumalanga Lowveld.
Frost often occurs on the interior plateau during cold, clear winter nights, with ice forming on still pools and in water-pipes.The frost season is longest (from April to October) over the eastern and southern plateau areas bordering on the Escarpment. Frost decreases to the north, while the coast is virtually frost-free. Average annual relative humidity readings show that, in general, the air is driest over the western interior and over the plateau. Along the coast, the humidity is much higher and at times may rise to 85%. Low stratus clouds and fog frequently occur over the cool west coast, particularly during summer. The only other area that commonly experiences fog is in the "mist belt" along the eastern foothills of the Escarpment.
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.
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