South Africa Adventure Guide
| Capital | Pretoria,Bloemfontein and Cape Town |
| Population | 49.3 million |
| Area | |
| Language | 11 Offical languages : Afrikaans,English, S Ndebele, N/S Sotho,Swazi,Tsonga,Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Distance from London | |
| Climate | Extreme desert in NW Namib, lush sub tropical in east , SW Mediterranean +windy, Garden route in south wet and green |
| Currency | Rand |
| Visa | |
| Health/Vaccinations | |
| Governmment | Constitutional Democracy |
The Drakensburg are the highest mountains in South Africa and extend into landlocked Lesotho.1000m cliffs of basalt and sandstone hide pre-historic rock paintings. Hikes are varied but are often above 3000m so a good level of fitness.There Classic 75km traverse takes in Thukela Falls at 947m the worlds second highest waterfalls.
Surfing at Jeffreys Bay
The waves at Jeffreys travel 1500km before giving along ride of up ti 1.5km. The Bay is on the supertube pro-circuit. The BAy is on the Southern Eastern end of Africa next stop Antarctica!
Kruger National Park Safari
Founded in 1898 the park has a large number and variety of African animals.Take a safari to see the Big Five- lion,elephants,water buffalo,leopard and rhino. Plus cheetahs,zebras,giraffes,hippos and hyenas.
Penguins at Boulders Beach
Best seen from the Foxy Beach boarwalk are the 3000 African Penguins that have been here since 1982. Near CapeTown a warmer way of seeing penguins than going to South Africa.
South Africa is a fantastic winter escape, only one time zone from the UK too! Cape town , The Garden route,Safaris,Wine and surfing near Durban. Stunning dramatic landscapes, two oceans and penguins too!
South African History and Culture
In 1652 The Dutch East India Company founded a "refreshment station" to serve the ships rounding the cape - it became Capetown and in 1806 it became a British Colony. Prior this the area had been divided tribally with the Xhosa and Zulus being the main peoples. After 1806 the Boers(Dutch,Flemish,German,French)and British claimed land in the North and east.The discovery of diamonds and gold caused the Boer war between the British and Boer. The Boers lost. Apartheid was introduced progressivley from 1879 but in 1961 it was declared a republic and continued and enforced segregation. South Africa became morally culturally ostracised and was not part of the commonwealth. The ANC (The African National Conference) fought for the freedom amd rights of the on-white majority. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for his involvement.In 1990 the government started to dismantle apartheid,Nelson Mandela was released and South Africa was welcomed back to the International community. Mandela eventually became president in 1994 after the nonwhite communities voted the ANC part to power.
South Africans love sport and it unites all communities ,football,cricket and rugby "Springboks" are the most popular but watersports and athletics are popular too. In 2010 South Africa will host the football word cup for the first time.