Country's Full Name: Republic of South Africa

Brief History: It is believed Khoisan language speaking people inhabited this area for the first time thousands of years ago. Portuguese settlers came through Cape Town, beginning the influx of European settlers. The number grew after the discovery of gold and diamond mines. The second Boer war between British forces and Boers led to the controversial apartheid regime. The country was divided with Blacks (local Africans), Whites, Asians (Indians), and colored races. Whites were having supreme authority in every decision making. Nelson Mandela of African National Congress was jailed for 27 years against resisting the racist forces. Finally, succumbing to the pressure apartheid laws were removed paving the way to secular democracy. In the present setup South Africa is a multi party democracy.

What is the country known for: Find the morning dew in reserved forests spread across South Africa. South Africa has earmarked three million hectares of forests, reserved for wild animals. "Kruger National Park" is one of the oldest and biggest national park housing Elephants, Lions, Wild Buffaloes, different birds. The other reserved forests are Table Mountain national park, Hluhluwe and Imfolozi national park, Addo National Park, Kgalagadi National Park, Pilansberg National Park, Marakele National Park, Tsitsikamma National Park, West Coast National Park, Wilderness National Park, Richtersveld National Park, Augrabies National Park, Golden Gate National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park, Karoo National Park, Ithala Game Reserve.

Do you love the glitter of gold? Check for gold mines some of which are four km deep!

Beautiful beaches, amazing seashores all invite with a stunning look to the visitors.

Main Industries: Mining (platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, food.

Main Trading Partners: Germany, USA, UK, Italy and Japan

Major Cities: Pretoria population 1,541,300 (metro)/1,249,700 (city proper), Cape Town population 3,140,600 (metro area)/2,733,000 (city proper), Bloemfontein population 378,000, Johannesburg 1,675,200, Port Elizabeth, Durban/Pinetown 2.396.100, East London.

Location: 29 00 S, 24 00 E
Located in the southern tip of Africa.

Size: Total land area - 471,008 sq mi or 1,219,912 sq km.
Slightly double the size of Texas.

Time Zone: GMT 2 hours

Type of Government: It is the only country in the world with three capitals, Pretoria - administrative, Cape Town - legislative, Bloemfontein - judicial.
South Africa has Bicameral Parliament - National Assembly (400 seats where members are elected for five year term under proportional representation) and National Council of Provinces (90 seats where members protect regional interest and are elected for five years)
Present President - Mr. Thabo Mbeki (since 16 June 1999);
Deputy President - Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (since 23 June 2005)

National Holidays:

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
21 Mar Human Rights Day.
2 Apr Good Friday.
5 Apr Family Day.
27 Apr Freedom Day.
1 May Workers' Day.
16 Jun Youth Day.
9 Aug National Women's Day.
24 Sep Heritage Day.
16 Dec Day of Reconciliation.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Day of Goodwill.

2011
1 Jan New Year's Day.
21 Mar Human Rights Day.
13 Apr Family Day.
22 Apr Good Friday.
27 Apr Freedom Day.
1 May Workers' Day.
16 Jun Youth Day.
9 Aug National Women's Day.
24 Sep Heritage Day.
16 Dec Day of Reconciliation.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Day of Goodwill.

Note
Holidays falling on a Sunday are observed the following Monday.

Population and Breakdown:

July 2007 estimate - 43,997,228
The estimate includes the effect of HIV/AIDS epidemic taking its toll. It is believed 1000 people die every day due to this disease.
0-14 years - 29.1% (male 6,447,623/female 6,370,909)
15-64 years - 65.5% (male 14,040,210/female 14,761,179)
65 years and above - 5.4% (male 917,227/female 1,460,680)

Life expectancy: 42.45 years (male 43.21 years/female 41.66 years)

Religion: 2001 census - Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1%

Language: South Africa has rich culture with 11 official languages, some of them according to 2001 census - IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%

Best Time to go: If you are planning to go in jungle safari (Kruger, national parks) the best time will be winter (May to September). Remember, South Africa is in southern hemisphere where summer and winter are opposite to the European seasons. The southern region comprising Cape Town, Eastern Cape can be best visited during summer season (October to March).


Currency:
1 US Dollar = 7.17849 South African Rand
1 South African Rand (ZAR) = 0.13931 US Dollar (USD)
1 Euro = 9.79720 South African Rand
1 South African Rand (ZAR) = 0.10207 Euro (EUR)
1 British Pound = 14.45683 South African Rand
1 South African Rand (ZAR) = 0.06917 British Pound (GBP)

Custom Regulations:
Any good (legally acceptable) brought in South Africa upto R3,000 is free, goods from R3,000 - R12,000 are charged for flat rate of 20%. Valued goods beyond that value are charged at the normal rates.
Tobacco - 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 250 g of tobacco
Liquor - 1 liter of spirits, 2 liters of wine
Perfume - 300 ml per person
Currency - unlimited, declare it on arrival.

Tipping:
In South Africa it is customary, people expect tips.
General tipping rules
For hotel and airport porters: Rand 10-15 per person.
Waiter in restaurant: 10% of the bill value.
Taxi Drivers, Gas attendants, hairdressers: 10% of the bill.
Car Parking Guards: R2-R5 depending on number of hours car was
Parked.