South Africa has 11 official languages and a diverse population of over 50 million people. It has a mixed economy and is considered a newly industrialized country due to its modern infrastructure and developed financial and energy sectors. However, it also has high rates of poverty and unemployment. The country has a parliamentary republic government with three capital cities and nine provinces. It has a generally temperate climate and landscape that varies from coastline to grasslands and mountains.

3. 


Adopted: 27 April 1994
Designed by: Frederick Brownell, former State
Herald of South Africa
Design :Rectangular flag in the proportion of two
in the width to three in the length: per pall from
the hoist, the upper band red (chilli) and the lower
band blue, with a black triangle at the hoist; over
the partition lines a green pall one fifth the width
of the flag, fimbriated white against the red (chilli)
and blue, and gold against the black triangle at the
hoist; the width of the pall and its fimbriations is
one third the width of the flag.

5. The Republic of South Africa (also referred to as South
Africa, SA or RSA) is a state in southern Africa. Located at
the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine
provinces, with 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) of coastline on
the Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north of the country
lie the neighboring territories
of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are
Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is
an enclave surrounded by South African territory.
 Total Area: 1,221,037 km2 or 471,443 sq mi
 South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world and is
comparable in size to Colombia.
 Mafadi in the Drakensberg at 3,450 m (11,320 ft) is the
highest peak in South Africa.


6. 




Capital:
Pretoria (executive),Bloemfontein (judicial),Cape
Town (legislative)
Ethnic groups:
79.5% Black, 9.0% White
9.0% Coloured, 2.5% Asian
Government: Constitutional parliamentary republic
Population: 2011 estimate-50,586,757
Currency: Rand

8. In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the
first European known to have reached southern Africa. On 4
December, he landed at Walfisch Bay (now known as Walvis Bay
in present-day Namibia). This was south of the furthest point
reached in 1485 by his predecessor, the Portuguese navigator
Diogo Cão (Cape Cross, north of the bay). Dias continued down
the western cost of southern Africa. After 8 January
1488, prevented by storms from proceeding along the coast, he
sailed out of sight of land and passed the southernmost point of
Africa without seeing it. After he had reached as far up the
eastern coast of Africa as what he called Rio do Infante, probably
the present-day Groot River, in May 1488 on his return he saw the
Cape, which he first named Cabo das Tormentas(Cape of Storms).
His King, John II, renamed the point Cabo da Boa
Esperança or Cape of Good Hope, as it led to the riches of the East
Indies.Dias' feat of navigation was later memorialised in Luís de
Camões' epic Portuguese poem, The Lusiads (1572).

9. South Africa is a parliamentary republic, although
unlike most such republics the President is both head
of state and head of government, and depends for his
tenure on the confidence of Parliament. The
executive, legislature and judiciary are all subject to
the supremacy of the Constitution, and the superior
courts have the power to strike down executive
actions and acts of Parliament if they are
unconstitutional.
The National Assembly, the lower house of
Parliament, consists of 400 members and is elected
every five years by a system of party-list proportional
representation. In the most recent election, held on
22 April 2009.

10. The National Council of Provinces, the upper
house, consists of ninety members, with each of the
nine provincial legislatures electing ten members.
After each parliamentary election, the National
Assembly elects one of its members as President;
hence the President serves a term of office the same
as that of the Assembly, normally five years. No
President may serve more than two terms in office.
The President appoints a Deputy President and
Ministers, who form the Cabinet. The President and
the Cabinet may be removed by the National
Assembly by a motion of no confidence.

11. South Africa has three capital cities: Cape
Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the
legislative capital;Pretoria, as the seat of the
President and Cabinet, is the administrative
capital; and Bloemfontein, as the seat of the
Supreme Court of Appeal, is the judicial
capital.

15. Since 2004, the country has had many thousands of
popular protests, some violent, making it, according to one
academic, the "most protest-rich country in the
world". Many of these protests have been organized from
the growing shanty towns that surround South African cities.
In 2008, South Africa placed 5th out of 48 sub-Saharan
African countries on the Ibrahim Index of African
Governance. South Africa scored well in the categories
of Rule of Law, Transparency & Corruption
and Participation & Human Rights, but was let down by its
relatively poor performance in Safety & Security. The
Ibrahim Index is a comprehensive measure of African
governance, based on a number of different variables which
reflect the success with which governments deliver essential
political goods to its citizens.

16. Provinces









Eastern Cape
Free State
Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
North West
Northern Cape
Western Cape
Capital
Bhisho
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Pietermaritzburg
Polokwane
Nelspruit
Mafikeng
Kimberley
Cape town

17. The provinces are in turn divided into
52 districts: 8 metropolitan and 44 district
municipalities. The district municipalities are
further subdivided into 226 local
municipalities. The metropolitan
municipalities, which govern the largest
urban agglomerations, perform the functions
of both district and local municipalities.

18. South Africa has a generally temperate
climate, due in part to being surrounded by the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans on three sides, by its
location in the climatically milder southern
hemisphere and due to the average elevation
rising steadily towards the north (towards the
equator) and further inland. Due to this varied
topography and oceanic influence, a great
variety of climatic zones exist. Winters in South
Africa occur between June and August.

19. 


Real Yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius),
stinkwood (Ocotea bullata), and South
African
Black Ironwood (Olea laurifolia)

20. 








lions,
leopards,
white rhinos,
blue wildebeest,
kudus,
impalas,
hyenas,
hippopotamus and
giraffes

25. 
South Africa has a mixed economy with high rate of
poverty and low GDP per capita. By UN classification
South Africa is a middle-income country with an
abundant supply of resources, well-developed
financial, legal, communications, energy, and
transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among
the top twenty in the world,and a modern
infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of
goods to major urban centers throughout the entire
region. South Africa is ranked 25th in the world in
terms of GDP (PPP) as of 2008, and is considered
a newly industrialized country.

27. Unemployment is extremely high and South Africa is ranked
in the top 10 countries in the world for income inequality
 South Africa is the largest energy producer and consumer on
the continent. South Africa is a popular tourist
destination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes
from tourism. Among the main attractions are the diverse
and picturesque culture, the game reserves and the highly
regarded local wines.
 The South African rand (ZAR), is the most actively traded
emerging market currency in the world. It has joined an elite
club of fifteen currencies, the Continuous linked
settlement (CLS), where forex transactions are settled
immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across time
zones. The rand was the best-performing currency against
the United States dollar (USD) between 2002 and
2005, according to the Bloomberg Currency Scorecard.


28. 
Principal international trading partners of South
Africa—besides other African countries—include
Germany, the United States, China, Japan, the
United Kingdom and Spain. Chief exports
include corn, diamonds, fruits, gold, metals and
minerals, sugar, and wool. Machinery and
transportation equipment make up more than
one-third of the value of the country’s imports.
Other imports include chemicals, manufactured
goods, and petroleum.

29. 
Same-sex Marriage has been legal in South
Africa since 2006. It is the first republic and
the first African Nation to allow same-sex
marriage. Couples have a choice of a civil
union or a marriage.

30. According to the 2001 national census, Christians accounted
for 79.7% of the population. This includes Zion
Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal (Charismatic) (8.2%), Roman
Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch
Reformed (6.7%),Anglican (3.8%); members of other Christian
churches accounted for another 36% of the
population. Muslims accounted for 1.5% of the
population, Hindus about 1.3%, and Judaism 0.2%. 15.1% had
no religious affiliation, 2.3% were other and 1.4% were
unspecified.
 African Indigenous Churches were the largest of the Christian
groups. It was believed that many of these persons who
claimed no affiliation with any organized religion adhered
to traditional indigenous religions. Many peoples
have syncretic religious practices combining Christian and
indigenous influences.


33. 
South Africa has eleven official languages:
Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern
Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda,
Xhosa, and Zulu

34. The spread of AIDS (acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome) is
an alarming problem in South Africa with up to 31% of pregnant
women found to be HIV infected in 2005 and the infection rate
among adults estimated at 20%. The link between HIV, a virus
spread primarily by sexual contact, and AIDS was long denied by
prior president Thabo Mbeki and then health minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang, who insisted that the many deaths in the
country are due to malnutrition, and hence poverty, and not HIV.
 AIDS affects mainly those who are sexually active and is far
more prevalent in the black population. Most deaths are people
who are also economically active, resulting in many families
losing their primary wage earners. This has resulted in many
'AIDS orphans' who in many cases depend on the state for care
and financial support. It is estimated that there are 1,200,000
orphans in South Africa. Many elderly people also lose the
support from lost younger members of their family. Roughly
5 million people are infected with the disease.


35. 
The oldest art objects in the world were
discovered in a South African cave. Dating
from 75,000 years ago, these small drilled
snail shells could have no other function than
to have been strung on a string as a necklace.
South Africa was one of the cradles of the
human species.

36. Learners have twelve years of formal schooling, from grade
1 to 12. Grade R is a pre-primary foundation year. Primary
schools span the first seven years of schooling. High School
education spans a further five years. The Senior
Certificate examination takes place at the end of grade 12
and is necessary for tertiary studies at a South African
university.
 Public universities in South Africa are divided into three
types: traditional universities, which offer theoretically
oriented university degrees; universities of
technology ("Technikons"), which offer vocational oriented
diplomas and degrees; and comprehensive
universities, which offer both types of qualification. Public
institutions are usually English medium, although instruction
may take place in Afrikaans as well.


37. There are also a large number of other educational
institutions in South Africa – some are local campuses of
foreign universities, some conduct classes for students who
write their exams at the distance-education University of
South Africa and some offer unaccredited or nonaccredited diplomas. See: List of universities in South
Africa; List of post secondary institutions in South
Africa; Category:Higher education in South Africa.
 Public expenditure on education was at 5.4 % of the 2002–
05 GDP.
 Under apartheid, schools for blacks were subject to
discrimination through inadequate funding and a separate
syllabus called Bantu Education which was only designed to
give them sufficient skills to work as laborers. Redressing
these imbalances has been a focus of recent education
policy; see Education in South Africa: Restructuring.

38. 
South Africa's most popular sports are
soccer, rugby and cricket. Other sports with
significant support are
swimming, athletics, golf, boxing, tennis and
netball. Although soccer commands the
greatest following among the youth, other
sports like basketball, surfing and
skateboarding are increasingly popular

40. 
Cape Town's beautiful beaches
The beautiful beaches in Cape Town contribute
to the Mother City’s worldwide acclaim. From the
trendy shores of Clifton and Camps Bay to the
warmer swimming waters of False Bay – if you
love surf and sand, Cape Town will have a beach
that’s just right for you.

42. 
Grape escapes in the winelands
Ever wondered how that precious 'Cab Sav
you’ve laid down so carefully was made, or
sipped wine so heavenly you’d like to bathe in
it? Now you can! From grape stomping
contests, to wine baths, and end of harvest
festivals - uncork the best of the winelands on
these grape escapes.

44. 
The Garden Route
The Garden Route is a mix of modern golf
courses, ancient forests, secluded artist
communities, retirement estates, modern
malls, craft centres, mountain hideaways and
beach holidays. A large number of interesting
and creative people have come to live down
here, drawn to this magnificent stretch of
coastline.

46. City of gold and glamour
 Johannesburg
Johannesburg is a city with so much on the
go. There are wonderful restaurants, relaxed
sidewalk cafes, laughter-filled
shebeens, gargantuan shopping malls, tranquil
parks, emotive museums, thrilling
casinos, busy townships, stunning
galleries, funky nightclubs… and that’s just a
teaser.

48. Visit Pafuri, one of Kruger Park's great
wilderness areas
 The Northern Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is not just about big
game. There are wilderness areas of great natural
beauty where you can discover unique
forests, brilliant birding, traces of early
humankind, and a once-notorious area between
South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, where
old-time baddies hung out, criss-crossing the
Limpopo River on foot.

59. East meets West
 Durban
Durban offers excellent urban
vibes, including a mix of design, art, music and
food – peppered with fascinating cultural
influences. Even in winter there’s lots to
experience, especially with snow-capped
mountains, top game reserves, country
meanders and loads of other top attractions
nearby.

61. A worldwide beacon for human rights
 Robben Island Prison Museum
Robben Island’s place in South Africa’s
conflicted past begins with the very start of
colonialism as the first Dutch settler, Jan van
Riebeeck, clashed with local Khoekhoe
leader, Autshumato. Today its lessons are a
heritage that belongs to all mankind. They can
be learned at the Robben Island Prison
Museum.

63. The Deep Green Canyon
 The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve
The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is
situated in Mpumalanga and, with legendary
viewing points such as God’s Window, offers
some of the most spectacular views in South
Africa. Activities range from hiking and
swimming to scenic drives. Seek out the watereroded Bourke’s Luck Potholes where
prospectors searched for gold.

65. The heart of the struggle
 A Soweto township tour
Soweto township tours are the best way for
the first time visitor to immerse themselves in
the urban vibe of the place that was at the
heart of the freedom struggle. A tour of Soweto
not only includes national heritage sites, but
vibrant restaurants and clubs.

67. An unspoiled wilderness
 The Wild Coast
The Wild Coast is an unspoiled natural
treasure. Visitors can explore its renowned
beauty on foot, by 4x4 or horseback before
embarking on fishing expeditions or snorkelling
and diving outings.

71. 


Motto: "Unity, Freedom, Justice“
Anthem: High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free
Coat of Arms






Capital: Freetown (Largest city)
Official language(s): English, Krio language
Government: Constitutional republic
Area : Total 71,740 km2 (119th) 27,699 sq mi
Population - July 2010 estimate 6.4 million
Official Currency: Leone=100 cents

74. Sierra Leone is situated on the west coast of Africa. It is
bordered with Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the
southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west.
The country consists of three main geographical regions. The
Sierra Leone Peninsula in the extreme west which is most
mountainous, rising to about 2,900ft. This area was called Sierra
Leone (the Lion Mountains) by the Portuguese explorer Pedro de
Cintra in 1462. The western part of the country, excluding the
Peninsula, consists of coastal mangrove swamps and a coastal
plain that extends inland from 60 to 100 miles. Many rivers in this
area are navigable for short distances. In the east and northeast is
a plateau region ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 ft, with peaks of
over 6,000 ft (Loma Mansa - Bintimani 6,390 ft) in the Loma
Mountains and Tingi Hills

75. The Republic of Sierra Leone is
composed of four regions the Northern
Province, Southern Province, the
Eastern Province and the Western Area.
The first three provinces are further
divided into 12 districts, and the
districts are further divided into 149
chiefdoms. The Local Government Act
2004 designated units of government
called localities each of which would
have a council to exercise authority and
carry out functions at a local level.There
are 13 district councils, one for each of
the 12 districts and one for the Western
Area Rural, and six municipalities each
with a
council, Freetown, Bo, Bonthe, Kenema
, Koidu and Makeni.

76. 

Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with a diverse
environment ranging from savannah to rainforests.[6]
Sierra Leone is divided into four geographical regions:
the Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern
Province and the Western Area; which are further
divided into fourteen districts. Freetown is the
capital, largest city and economic and financial center.
The other major cities are Bo, Kenema, Koidu Town
and Makeni.
Sierra Leone is now a constitutional republic, with a
directly elected president and a unicameral
legislature, known as the House of Parliament. The
president is the head of state and the Head of
government.

77. 
The country has relied on mining, especially
diamonds, for its economic base; it is among the top
10 diamond producing nations in the world, and
mineral exports remain the main foreign currency
earner. Sierra Leone is also among the largest
producers of titanium and bauxite, and a major
producer of gold. The country has one of the world's
largest deposits of rutile. Sierra Leone is also home to
the third largest natural harbour in the world; where
shipping from all over the globe berth at Freetown's
famous Queen Elizabeth II Quay. Despite this natural
wealth, over 70% of its people live in poverty

78. 


Sierra Leone is home to fifteen ethnic groups, each
with its own language and customs. The two largest
and most influential are the Mende and Temne.
Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the most religiously
tolerant nations in the world
The climate is tropical, with two seasons determining
the agricultural cycle: the rainy season from May to
November, and a dry season from December to
May, which includes harmattan, when cool, dry winds
blow in off the Sahara Desert and the night-time
temperature can be as low as 16 °C (60.8 °F).

79. 
Until 2002, Sierra Leone lacked a forest
management system due to the civil war that
caused tens of thousands of deaths. Deforestation
rates have increased 7.3% since the end of the civil
war. On paper, 55 protected areas covered 4.5% of
Sierra Leone as of 2003. The country has 2,090
known species of higher plants, 147 mammals, 626
birds, 67 reptiles, 35 amphibians, and 99 fish
species.

81. Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six
years at primary level (Class P1-P6) and three years in junior
secondary education, but a shortage of schools and teachers has
made implementation impossible.[36] Two thirds of the adult
population of the country are illiterate.The Sierra Leone Civil War
resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools and in 2001 67
percent of all school-age children were out of school.The
situation has improved considerably since then with primary
school enrolment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and the
reconstruction of many schools since the end of the war.Students
at primary schools are usually 6 to 12 years old, and in secondary
schools 13 to 18. Primary education is free and compulsory in
government-sponsored public schools.
 The country has two universities: Fourah Bay College, founded in
1827 (the oldest university in West Africa),and Njala
University, primarily located in Bo District


82. 
Health care is provided by the government and others. Since
April 2010, the government has instituted the Free Health
Care Initiative which commits to free services for pregnant
and lactating women and children under 5. This policy has
been supported by increased aid from the United Kingdom
and is recognised as a progressive move that other African
countries may follow.The country has a very high infant
mortality and a very low life expectancy. The maternal death
rates are also the highest in the world, at 2,000 deaths per
100,000 live births. The country suffers from epidemic
outbreaks of diseases including yellow fever, cholera, lassa
fever and meningitis.The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the
population is 1.6 percent, higher than the world average of 1
percent but lower than the average of 6.1 percent in SubSaharan Africa.

85. Official Currency: Zimbabwe Dollar=100 cents
Motto: "Unity, Freedom, Work"
Anthem: Simudzai Mureza WeZimbabwe (Shona)
Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe (Sindebele)
"Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe“
 Capital: (and largest city) Harare
 Official language(s):English, Shona, Ndebele
Demonym Zimbabwean
 Government: Semi
presidential, parliamentary, consociationalist republic
 Area : Total 390,757 km2 (60th) 150,871 sq mi
 Population: 2009 estimate 12,521,000 (68th)




86. Further information: Great Zimbabwe and Rhodesia
(name)
 Zimbabwe was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia
(1923), Rhodesia (1965), and Zimbabwe Rhodesia
(1979). The name Zimbabwe was introduced from ca.
1960 in the context of the unilateral declaration of
independence, and used by the African nationalist
faction in the Rhodesian Bush War, the Zimbabwe
African National Union of Robert Mugabe, and the
Zimbabwe African People's Union of Joshua Nkomo.
 The name is based on the Shona name for the ruined
city now known as Great Zimbabwe, first recorded as
Symbaoe in 1531 by Vicente Pegado, Captain of the
Portuguese Garrison of Sofala.


88. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa, lying
between latitudes 15° and 23°S, and longitudes 25° and
34°E. Most of the country is elevated in the central plateau
(high veld) stretching from the southwest to the northwest
at altitudes between 1200 and 1600m. The country's east is
mountainous with Mt. Nyangani as the highest point at
2,592 m. About 20% of the country consists of the low veld
under 900m. Victoria Falls, one of the world's biggest and
most spectacular waterfalls, is located in the country's
northwest as part of the Zambezi river. The country has a
tropical climate with a rainy season usually from November
to March. The climate is moderated by the altitude.
 Zimbabwe has a centralised government and is divided into
eight provinces and two cities with provincial status, for
administrative purposes. Each province has a provincial
capital from where official business is usually carried out


89. 

Zimbabwe is a semi-presidential republic, which
has a parliamentary system of government.
Under the constitutional changes in 2005, an
upper chamber, the Senate, was reinstated.The
House of Assembly is the lower chamber of
Parliament.
President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African
National Union – Patriotic Front (commonly
abbreviated ZANU-PF) has been the dominant
political party in Zimbabwe since independence.

90. Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism are the main foreign
currency earners of Zimbabwe.The mining sector remains very
lucrative, with some of the world's largest platinum reserves
being mined by Anglo-American and Impala Platinum.The
Marange diamond fields, discovered in 2006, are considered the
biggest diamond find in over a century
 Tourism was an important industry for the country, but has been
failing in recent years. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
released a report in June 2007, estimating 60% of Zimbabwe's
wildlife has died since 2000 due to poaching and deforestation.
The report warns that the loss of life combined with widespread
deforestation is potentially disastrous for the tourist
industry.[101]
 On November 2010, the IMF described the Zimbabwean
economy as "completing its second year of buoyant economic
growth".


91. 
A map showing the spread of cholera in and
around Zimbabwe put together from several
sources.

92. Zimbabwe was thus considered internationally to have an achieved a good
record of health development.The country suffered occasional outbreaks
of acute diseases (such as plague in 1994). The gains on the national health
were eroded by structural adjustment in the 1990s,the impact of the
HIV/AIDS pandemic and the economic crisis since the year 2000.
Zimbabwe now has one of the lowest life expectancies on Earth – 44 for
men and 43 for women, down from 60 in 1990. The rapid drop has been
ascribed mainly to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Infant mortality has risen from
5.9% in the late 1990s to 12.3% by 2004.
 The health system has more or less collapsed: By the end of November
2008, three of Zimbabwe's four major hospitals had shut down, along with
the Zimbabwe Medical School, and the fourth major hospital had two
wards and no operating theatres working. Due to hyperinflation, those
hospitals still open are not able to obtain basic drugs and medicines.The
ongoing political and economic crisis also contributed to the emigration of
the doctors and people with medical knowledge.


93. 
Zimbabwe's education system consists of 9
years of primary and 6 years of secondary
schooling before students can enter university in
the country or abroad. The academic year in
Zimbabwe runs from January to December, with
three month terms, broken up by one month
holidays, with a total of 40 weeks of school per
year. National examinations are written during
the third term in November, with "O" level and
"A" level subjects also offered in June.

95.  LORNA
E. REYES
BEED 311