About South Africa (Please refer to your favourite travel guidebook or the
internet for a more in-depth overview)
Capital City
South Africa has three capital cities. The executive, judicial, and
legislative branches of government are based in Pretoria,
Bloemfontein, and Cape Town, respectively. The largest city is
Johannesburg.
Currency
The South African rand (ZAR) is the country's currency, issued by the
South African Reserve Bank. Its symbol is R. The rand is subdivided
into 100 cents.
Language
At least thirty-five languages indigenous to South Africa are spoken in
the Republic, eleven of which are official languages of South Africa:
Ndebele, Pedi, Soto, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu,
Afrikaans, and English, which is the primary language used in
parliamentary and state discourse, though all official languages are
equal in legal status.
Religion
About 80% of South Africans are Christian, 15% have no religious
affiliation, and 5% are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or of other faiths. The
Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
Location and size
South Africa is the southernmost country in the world, with a
coastline stretching more than 2,500km along two oceans (the South
Atlantic and the Indian). At 1,219,912 km2, it is the 24th-largest
country in the world. The country lies between latitudes 22 and 35
degrees South.
Population
South Africa's current population is 60 million, and its population
density is 50 per km2.
Internet coverage
Internet services are also widely available, particularly in town areas.