South Africa — map and facts

About South Africa

South Africa is a country at the southernmost tip of the African continent, with a population of approximately 60 million people. It is a constitutional democracy with a president serving as both head of state and head of government, elected by the National Assembly. South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation," a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to celebrate its multicultural and multiracial society. The country has eleven official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English, reflecting its extraordinary ethnic and linguistic diversity. South Africa is the most industrialised economy in Africa and a member of the BRICS grouping. The country is renowned for its biodiversity, dramatic landscapes, and wildlife, making it one of the world's premier safari destinations. Major cities include Johannesburg, the economic hub; Cape Town, the legislative capital; and Pretoria, the administrative capital. South Africa faces significant challenges including high unemployment, inequality — one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world — and the ongoing legacy of apartheid.

Geography and Landscape

South Africa occupies approximately 1.22 million square kilometres and is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini, and completely surrounds the Kingdom of Lesotho. The country's diverse landscape ranges from the Drakensberg mountain range in the east — the highest peaks rising above 3,400 metres — to the semi-arid Karoo plateau in the interior and the Namib Desert fringe in the northwest. The southwestern tip of the country, around the Cape Peninsula, is home to the Cape Floristic Region, one of the world's six floral kingdoms and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of exceptional botanical diversity. The east coast is lush and subtropical, bathed by the warm Agulhas Current, while the west coast is cooler, influenced by the Benguela Current. The Kruger National Park in the northeast is one of Africa's largest game reserves. South Africa has a generally temperate climate, with significant variation between coastal and interior regions.

History

South Africa has been inhabited since the Stone Age, with the San and Khoikhoi peoples among its earliest inhabitants. Bantu-speaking peoples migrated southward over several centuries, establishing the Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, and other kingdoms. Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, and Dutch settlers established a refreshment station at the Cape in 1652 under the Dutch East India Company. British forces seized the Cape Colony in 1806, sparking conflict with Boer (Afrikaner) settlers. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 transformed the economy and intensified colonial competition, leading to the Anglo-Boer Wars (1880–1881 and 1899–1902). The Union of South Africa was formed in 1910. The apartheid system of racial segregation was institutionalised from 1948, prompting international isolation and a liberation struggle led by the African National Congress. Nelson Mandela's release in 1990 and the first democratic elections in 1994 marked the transition to democracy, with Mandela becoming the country's first Black president.