South Africa
South Africa is a republic at the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the north-east by Mozambique and Swaziland. Lesotho is contained entirely inside the borders of South Africa.
| |||||
| National motto: !ke e: /xarra //ke (Khoisan of the /Xam: diverse people unite) [1] | |||||
 | |||||
| Official languages | Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda | ||||
| Capitals | Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judicial) | ||||
| Largest City | Cape Town (1991 census) | ||||
| President | Thabo Mbeki | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 24th 1,219,912 kmē Negligible | ||||
| Population
- Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 26th
43,647,658 36/km² | ||||
| Independence - Union of South Africa - Republic of South Africa - First democratic elections |
May 31, 1910 May 31, 1961 April 27, 1994 | ||||
| Currency | Rand | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +2 | ||||
| National anthems | Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica (God Bless Africa) Die Stem van Suid Afrika (The Call of South Africa) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .ZA | ||||
| Calling Code | 27 | ||||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 Provinces 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 South Africa-related topics on Wikipedia 9 External links |
South Africa is one of the oldest nation-states in Africa. The territory was originally colonized by the British, which brought waves of white settlers. Feuds with Dutch settlers prompted the Boer war. In 1910 the four main Dutch and English colonies in the reigon united as the Union of South Africa. In 1931 South Africa became a fully soverign and self-governing dominion under the British crown. In 1961 it became a republic.
The decendants of the white settlers remained a minority among the black native Africans. The whites were able to maintain their rule by implementing a series of harsh, apartheid laws that segregated the country along racial lines. The apartheid system became increasingly controversial in the late 20th century, and in 1994 the first multi-racial elections were held. Control of the country is now largely in the hands of the black majority, although some white politicians and business leaders remain.
History
Main article: History of South AfricaPolitics
Main article: Politics of South AfricaProvinces
Main article: Provinces of South AfricaGeography
Main article: Geography of South AfricaEconomy
Main article: Economy of South Africa
| Date | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| March 21 | Human Rights Day |
| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday |
| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday |
| April 27 | Freedom Day |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| June 16 | Youth Day |
| August 9 | National Women's Day |
| September 24 | Heritage Day |
| December 16 | Day of Reconciliation |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Day of Goodwill |
The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following on it shall be a public holiday
South Africa-related topics on Wikipedia
See List of South Africa-related topics for a comprehensive listing of South Africa related links on Wikipedia.External links
