South Africa - this is where humanity began: our ancestors' traces are still evident in fossilised footprints 80 000 years old, and in the world's oldest rock paintings by San hunters traced back to 100 000 years.

South Africa is bigger than Germany, France and Italy combined, with roads leading to mountains, deserts, forests and pristine beaches. It has 9 provinces namely Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State, Northern -, Eastern and Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. This country is the powerhouse of Africa, the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent, with infrastructure to match any first-world nation. You can drive on wide, tarred highways all 1 600 kilometres from Messina, at the very top of the country, to Cape Town at the bottom. Or join twenty million passengers disembarking at our three international airports every year.

South Africa has two capitals: Cape Town the oldest city where Parliament meets and Pretoria, situated 1 500 kilometers to the north, which is the executive capital where the government administration is housed. Johannesburg, once the world's greatest mining city, is situated in close proximity to Pretoria and, with its skyscrapers, sprawls wider than London or New York and is the business hub of the country. Durban, situated on the eastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, is a fast growing port which is the supply route for most of the goods imported to the interior.

Two-thirds of Africa's electricity is generated here at the Southern tip. Forty percent of the telephones in Africa are found here. Twenty percent of the world's gold is mined here. South Africa is rated 3rd for cleanest drinking water in the world. We have produced six Nobel Prize winners for peace, literature and medicine. It's here were the first heart transplant took place at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town by the late Professor Chris Barnard.

THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Up until 1994 South Africa was known for "apartheid" or white-minority rule but today the country is known for it's remarkable transition into a new democratic society where its people have set aside their differences in favour of reconciliation, peace and unity.

South Africa is fondly known as the "Rainbow Nation", due to its cultural diversity comprising people of the San (or Bushman), Nguni, Sotho-Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Indian, Afrikaner and mixed origins, as well as immigrant communities from all corners of the world.

The population consists of more than 46-million people living on the 1.2-million square kilometers of land. Around 79% of the population are black (or African), 9% white, 9% coloured (the local terminology for people of mixed African, Asian and white descent) and 2.5% Indian / Asian.

Our constitution recognises 11 official languages at national level with Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi and English as the most commonly-spoken home languages, with Ndebele, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Venda and Tswana as the other spoken home languages.

Other languages are Khoi, Nama, Arabic, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu, with a few indigenous creoles (Tsotsi taal) and pidgins (Fanagalo). 23.8% of South Africans speak isiZulu (the language of the largest ethnic group the Zulu people who mainly live in the KwaZulu-Natal province); 17.6% speak IsiXhosa (spoken mainly in the former Transkei, Ciskei and Eastern Cape regions); 13.3% Afrikaans (the language that has its roots in 17th century Dutch with influences from English, Malay, German, Portuguese, French and some African languages); 9.4% Sepedi (otherwise known as Northern Sotho or Sesotho and mostly spoken in the Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces); with English and Setswana (mainly spoken in Botswana, Northern Cape, Western Free State and North West provinces) at 8.2%. English is, however, generally understood across the country and is the language of business and politics.

Approximately 80% of the South African population are Christians, 15% have no affiliation and 5% are either, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or other faiths. Many churches combine Christian and traditional African beliefs, this is particularly prevalent in the rural areas.

The South African people have managed a remarkable transition from a racially divided society to one that is founded on democratic principals. The way South Africans have overcome historical racial divides is lauded through-out the world. The citizens of South Africa continue to work together to develop and promote their country, which recognizes and celebrates difference in diversity of cultures and religion.

Our country is home to two of the world's most profoundly compassionate philosophies - Ubuntu and Gandhi's notion of "passive resistance" (Satyagraha), which he developed while living in South Africa. Ubuntu stresses the fact that all people are fundamentally connected, that we are human because of each other: "I am because you are".

Among the more famous sons and daughters of South Africa are ...

o NELSON MANDELA - MADIBA

South Africa's most famous son, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, is also a world icon of statesmanship and national reconciliation. Nelson Mandela is best known for his long struggle against the Apartheid government - a system of white domination and racial segregation. A co-founder of the African National Congress Youth League, he also founded the Defiance Campaign of 1952, based on Ghandi's principles of non-violence. In 1964 he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Apartheid government and sent to Robben Island.

Released in 1990, Nelson Mandela was central to the multiparty negotiations which led to democratic elections in 1994. On May 10 of that year, he was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president. To this day, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate continues to work for the children and the poverty-stricken masses of South Africa.

o PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI

In the post-Mandela era, President Thabo Mbeki has been a champion of the concept of African Renaissance - a far-reaching vision for the continent at large. After the initial process of reconciliation, his government is tasked with the job of implementing much needed reforms like poverty alleviation, job creation and nation-building in the new South Africa.

o ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU

Another Nobel laureate, Desmond Tutu is famous for his chairing of the ground-breaking Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the late 1990s. Known throughout his long career as a vocal, charismatic anti-Apartheid spokesman and former head of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa, Archbishop Tutu is one of South Africa's most-loved citizens.

o MARK SHUTTLEWORTH

At age 28, ICT entrepreneur, Mark Shutttleworth became Africa's first astronaut in 2002. Two years later, test pilot Mike Melville flew the first privately financed space mission.

o NADINE GORDIMER

Described by her peers as a "colossus of South African literature", Nadine Gordimer was the first South African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. A prolific writer of novels, short stories, essays and journalistic articles, Gordimer was one of the voices of protest during the Apartheid years - and continues to practice her elegant craft in the modern era.

o HUGH MASEKELA

Self-exiled in the 1960s, the wonderful jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela has returned to South Africa and is still a major player on the local concert circuit. He is also an inspiration to young jazz players and actively promotes their careers.

o ERNIE ELS

Affectionately nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his calm demeanor, Ernie Els took the international golfing world by storm when, as a 24 year old, he won the 1994 U.S. Open. He has since evolved into one of the world's top-ranking golfers, boasting a total of 35 international crowns, including two US Open titles and the 2002 British Open.

But that's not all! There is our famous daughter, Charlize Theron, our brothers Ryk Neethling, FW de Klerk, Professor Chris Barnard, and many, many more ...

EXCEPTIONAL LAND

South Africa is blessed with seven out of the 65 World Heritage sites in Africa and 812 in the World:

o Robben Island in the Western Cape
Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999 as a cultural site that symbolizes "the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom, and of democracy over oppression".

o The Cradle of Humankind
Comprising more than 500 hominid fossils, as well as thousands of animal fossils, tools and relics of the Stone Age found at the Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and surrounding environments.

o The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal
Inscribed as a natural site with "exceptional biodiversity" containing five distinct ecosystems - marine, forested dunes, swamps, salt-water lakes, with shores containing fossils, marine life and sand forests.

o The uKhahlamba Drakensburg Park in KwaZulu-Natal
Inscribed in 2000 as a mixed cultural-natural site with "exceptional natural beauty and wealth of evidence of early San Life". The Drakensberg contains rock paintings covering a period of 4 000 years, with an estimated 600 rock art sites in the mountains.

o The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape in Limpopo
Inscribed as a cultural site in 2003 and described as "a centre of the largest Kingdom of the Iron Age in Southern Africa where sophisticated people traded gold and ivory with the East".

o The Cape Floral Region of the Western Cape
Inscribed as a natural site in 2004 and identified as "one of only six floral kingdoms in the world". South Africa is home to some 10% of the world's flowering species, and is the only country in the world with an entire plant kingdom within its borders.

o Two billion years ago a meteorite 10km wide hit the earth in the Free State (about 100km southwest of Johannesburg), creating the largest and oldest impact crater in the world. This area is known as the Vredefort Dome and has been inscribed as South Africa's seventh World Heritage site in 2005. The meteorite, larger than Table Mountain, caused a thousand-megaton blast of energy causing 70 cubic kilometers of rock being vaporized on impact.

But, that is not all ...

o We have more animal species than North and South America combined, or Europe and Asia. You can view, in their natural environment, the big five - elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros and buffalo in one of our national parks such as the Kruger National Park.

o Or see the big sea five - right whale, great white shark, endangered bottlenose dolphin, blue marlin and tuna at one of our oceanariums or dedicated conservation sites.

o Or watch for the approximately 850 bird species recorded in South Africa at our bird parks or in their natural surroundings at our dedicated conservation areas.

o Or view the 30 species per square kilometer grasslands around our country which is greater than the biodiversity of the rainforests.

NATIONAL SYMBOLS
Source: SouthAfrica.info

South Africa's Anthem - Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

Before South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, the country had two anthems - an official and an unofficial one. The official anthem was Die Stem van Suid Afrika, in English The Call of South Africa. The unofficial anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, was a symbol of independence and resistance to apartheid, sung by the majority of the population and at all anti-apartheid rallies and gatherings.

Today our official national anthem is a combined version of Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and Die Stem van Suid-Afrika. The words of Die Stem were written by CJ Langenhoven in 1918, and the music composed by the Reverend ML de Villiers in 1921. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Methodist mission school teacher.

National flag

The national flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted on Freedom Day, 27 April 1994, and first flown 10 May 1994 - the day Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president.

The central design of the flag, beginning at the flag-pole in a V form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity.

National coat of arms

South Africa's coat of arms, or state emblem, is the highest visual symbol of the state. Its central image is a secretary bird with uplifted wings, a sun rising above it. Below the bird is the protea, an indigenous South African flower, representing the aesthetic harmony of all cultures and the country flowering as a nation.

The ears of wheat are emblems of the fertility of the land, while the tusks of the African elephant symbolise wisdom, steadfastness and strength.

At the centre stands a shield signifying the protection of South Africans, above which are a spear and knobkierie. These assert the defence of peace rather than a posture of war.

Within the shield are images of the Khoisan people, the first inhabitants of the land. The figures are derived from images on the Linton Stone, a world-famous example of South African rock art. The motto of the coat of arms is in the Khoisan language, and means "diverse people unite", or "people who are different joining together".

National animal - Springbok

The country's national animal is the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), which also gives its name to the South African rugby team - fondly (and sometimes not so fondly) known as the Boks.

The springbok gets its common name from its characteristic jumping display - pronk in Afrikaans. The animal stands 75cm high and weigh about 40kg.

Both sexes have horns, but those of the ram are thicker and rougher. The species has adapted to dry, barren areas and open grass plains, and so is found in the Free State, North West and Karoo up to the west coast. They move in small herds during winter, but often crowd together in bigger herds in summer.

National bird - Blue Crane

The national bird of South Africa is the blue crane (Anthropoides paradisia), the distribution of which is almost entirely restricted to this country. Standing about a metre tall, the bird is a light blue-grey, with a long neck supporting a rather bulbous head, long legs and elegant wing plumes which sweep to the ground.

Blue cranes lay their eggs in the bare veld, often close to water. They are common in the Karoo, but are also seen in the grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal and the highveld, usually in pairs or small family parties. Although usually quiet, the blue crane can emit a distinctive high-pitched and rattling croak which can be heard from some distance.

National flower - King Protea

The giant or king protea (Protea cynaroides) is widely distributed in the south-western and southern areas of the Western Cape, from the Cedarberg up to just east of Grahamstown. South Africa's national flower is the largest of the proteas, which make up an important part of the Cape Floral Region, a major global biodiversity hotspot and a Unesco World Heritage site. The proteas also give their name to South Africa's national cricket team.

National fish - Galjoen

South Africa's national fish is the galjoen (Coracinus capensis), which is only found along the South African coast. It keeps to mostly shallow water, often found in rough surf and sometimes right next to the shore, and is known to every angler as a game fighter. Near rocks, the colour of the galjoen is almost completely black, while in sandy areas the colour is silver-bronze.

National tree - Yellowwood Tree

The yellowwood family is ancient, having grown in this part of Africa for over 100-million years. The real yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius), South Africa's national tree, is found from Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg up to the Soutpansberg and the Blouberg in Limpopo.

In forests, the trees can grow up to 40m in height with the base of the trunk sometimes up to 3m in diameter. But trees that grow in unsheltered places such as mountain slopes are often short, bushy and gnarled. The bark of the real yellowwood is khaki-coloured to grey when it is old, deeply split and peels off in strips. The crown is relatively small in relation to its height and is often covered with grey lichen.