South Africa is one of the most diverse and interesting countries in the world! It is located on the southern tip of the African continent and is bordered by Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, whilst encompassing Lesotho and Swaziland. South Africa is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the warm Indian Ocean on the east.
South Africa occupies 4 % of the continent's total landmass, covering an area of 1 221 040 square kilometres, and is five times larger than Great Britain.
South Africa is divided into nine provinces, each with their own special qualities, people, activities, history, exquisite scenery and myriad of cultures. They are Eastern Cape; Free State; Gauteng; KwaZulu Natal; Limpopo; Mpumalanga; North West; Northern Province and Western Cape.
A basic introduction to each specific province can be found on the province’s specific page.
South Africa is home to some 44.8 million people, estimated in October 2001, with the following racial mix: African 79%; White 9.6%; Coloured 8.9% and Asian 2.5%.
South Africa has 11 official languages, namely Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Most South Africans are multi-lingual and English is widely spoken. Most road signs and official documents are also in English.
South Africa enjoys a temperate climate with warm, sunny days most of the year. The seasons of the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. Summer months are hot and winter months generally mild and dry.
| Average temperatures in ºC |
Summer |
Winter |
| Cape Town |
20 |
12.6 |
| Durban |
23.6 |
17 |
| Johannesburg |
19.4 |
11.1 |
South Africa operates two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time throughout the year, making it an hour ahead of Central European Winter Time, seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Winter Time and seven hours behind Australian Central Time.
South Africa’s currency unit is the Rand. It is denoted by the symbol R, with 100 cents making up
R 1.00 (one Rand).
Below is a public holiday chart. Please note that if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday automatically also becomes a public holiday.
2006:
24 September: Heritage Day
25 September: Public Holiday
16 December: Day of Reconciliation
25 December: Christmas Day
26 December: Day of Goodwill
2007:
1 January: New Years Day
21 March: Human Rights Day
13 April: Good Friday
16 April: Family Day
27 April: Freedom Day
1 May: Workers Day
16 June: Youth Day
9 August: National Women’s Day
