Africa
Travel Association's Prestige Magazine to
publish a "GRAND TOUR "OF SOUTH AFRICA" edition,
with long-term, year-round, worldwide
distribution.
Official
Information courtesy of the
South African Consulate
Standard
Time: Two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time, one hour ahead of Central European Time
and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time,
USA.
Location:
The Republic of South Africa lies at the
southern tip of the African continent between
latitudes 22 and 35 south, flanked by the Indian
Ocean on the east coast and the Atlantic on the
west, and bordered by Namibia, Botswana,
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Size:
The nine provinces: Gauteng (Capital -
Johannesburg, Kwazulu-Natal (Capital
-Pietermaritzburg), Northern Province ( Capital
- Pietersburg), North West (Capital Mmbatho,
Mpumalanga (Capital Nelspruit) , Free State
(Capital Bloemfontein), Northern Cape (Capital -
Kimberley), Western Cape (Capital - Cape Town),
Eastern Cape (Capital - King Williams Town),
cover a total of 1,227,200 Km2.
Peoples:
See
separate page.
Languages: There are 11 official languages :
Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, Sepedi, Sesotho,
SiSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda,
IsiXhosa, and IsiZulu.
Climate:
The climate is generally sunny and temperate and
the average number of sunshine hours each day
are among the highest in the world. Winters are
mild and clear, although occasional snowfalls
occur on the higher mountain ranges of the
Eastern and Western Cape and KwaZulu/Natal,
causing brief cold spells in the surrounding
areas. Over 40% of South Africa lies more than
1,210 m above sea level, and this factor exerts
a significant influence on temperatures and
rainfall in the interior of the country. The
Western Cape Province enjoys a
Mediterranean-type climate (dry summers and
winter rainfall), while on the whole, the
remainder of the country experiences summer
rainfall, mostly in the form of short afternoon
thunderstorms. As the country lies in the
southern hemisphere, seasons are the reverse of
those prevailing in the northern
hemisphere.
Plant and
Animal Life: South Africa has an
extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna. Some
22,000 species of flowering plants (of which 730
are classified as trees) are endemic to the
country, and about 900 species of birds,
representing 22 of the world's living orders,
are found here.
Indigenous
animals include many carnivore, as well as a
large number and variety of antelope and other
herbivore - the largest being the elephant.
Between them, the country `s game parks preserve
an amazing diversity of habitats to which
different species have adapted over hundreds of
thousands of years: desert and semi-desert,
mountain, savanna, bushveld, temperate and
subtropical coast, lake, estuary and river.
Apart from the 800 game reserves and 16 National
Parks Board Reserves, there are several
privately owned sanctuaries, where conservation
is strictly enforced.
Religion:
African Indigenous Churches, Christian,
Jewish, Muslim, Hindu
Transport
South Africa's complete road network links
settlements ranging from the largest
metropolitan area to the smallest village and
comprises a total length of more than 206,000
km. Of this network more than 57,000 km are
surfaced. Spoornet, the government owned railway
operates 21,303 route km of railroads (34,110 km
of track) 42,6% which is electrified. The
luxurious Blue Train runs between Pretoria and
Cape Town a distance of 1,600km - and is
particularly popular among tourists.
There are six
major ports along South Africa's coastline of
nearly 3,000 km namely Durban, Richards Bay,
East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and
Saldanha. Durban is South Africa's busiest port
and is believed to be the third largest port in
Africa. South African Airways, the country's
national carrier operates a comprehensive
network of services internally and
internationally.
Culture
South Africa offers vital and diverse
cultural fare. The country's artists are active
both locally and abroad in the fields of
theater, classical and modern music, opera,
ballet, the visual arts and literature (drama,
poetry and prose). Many South African
productions are showcased on stage and at
exhibitions abroad.
Sport
South African sportsmen and women continue
to excel on the playing fields of the world and
at home, establishing new world and South
African records and scoring remarkable feats.
One of the reasons is probably South Africa's
ideal climate which permits all forms of outdoor
sport and recreation to be enjoyed virtually
throughout the year in most parts of the
country. Rugby, tennis, field hockey, soccer,
cricket, squash, badminton, golf, surfing,
sailing, running, athletics, sky diving,
cycling, triathlons are some of the
participation sports.
Did You
Know?
Eskom, South Africa's national electricity
utility, is the world's fourth largest
electricity utility in terms of both sales
volume and nominal capacity. Eskom generates
more electricity than the rest of the African
continent.
The Lost City
Resort is the largest theme resort hotel in the
world as well as the largest building project
undertaken in the southern hemisphere.
..