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South Africa
Relevant information about South Africa.
Besides the increasing interest in South Africa, due to the imminent World Football Cup 2010, this country has a lot of activities and places that invite people to choose it. Its exotic and wild nature, as well as it rich native culture, create the ideal site for those who enjoy of adventure. Many tourists also decide to go to South Africa for medical treatments or surgery, getting high level services at very affordable prices.
The Republic of South Africa is located at the southern of Africa, covering a total area of 1 221 037 km2. It borders to the north with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east with Mozambique and Swaziland; and all around Lesotho. According to the census of 2009, the population in Africa is estimated in 49,320,000. Before the European arrival at the country, the indigenous were dominant. By that time, the two major groups were the Xhosa and Zulu tribes. People in South Africa are of diverse origins, cultures and languages. Statistics of South Africa provided several racial categories, Black African at 79.3%, White at 9.1%, Coloured at 9.0%, and Indian or Asian at 2.6%. The major part of the population was classified as African or black, but it is not culturally homogeneous. Major ethnic groups include the Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho, Bapedi, Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi and Ndebele. Culturally and linguistically, they are divided into the Afrikaners, who speak Afrikaans, and English-speaking groups, many of whom are descended from British and Irish immigrants. At the same time, the major part of the South African Asian population is Indian in origin; many of them descended from workers brought in the 19th century to work on the sugar plantations of Natal. South Africa has a diversity of cultures and languages. Two of the languages are of European origin: Afrikaans, a language which originated mainly from Dutch that is spoken by the majority of white and Coloured South Africans, and South African English. Though English has a large role, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. When it comes to culture, the most relevant items are food, music and dance, attracting thousands of tourists every year. South African cuisine is heavily based on meat, which doesn’t mean that vegetarians cannot enojy a good meal in South Africa. Furthermore, everyone is invited to enjoy some of the most famous and exquisite wines of the world, created in the vineyards of the valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl. Cultural traditions survive most strongly among the poor people. On the other hand, urban blacks usually speak English or Afrikaans, in addition to their native tongue. The middle class in South Africa is predominantly white, but whose ranks include growing numbers of black, coloured and Indian people. Members of the middle class often study and work abroad, getting involved with the markets of the world. And music is very rich in the country. There is a quite particular style called Kwaito. Some of the most famous local artists that promote this style are: Brenda Fassie; Ladysmith Black Mambazo; the Soweto String Quartet. And it is also important to underline that South Africa has produced famous jazz musicians, such as Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Jonathan Butler, Chris McGregor, and Sathima Bea Benjamin.
South Africa is known to have plenty of resources, at the time it is consider a middle-income country. The most advanced development is mainly localised around the next areas: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Johannesburg. The country is the largest energy producer and consumer on the whole continent. It is also very popular as a tourist destination, amounting high revenues. Currently, the South African rand is the most actively traded emerging market currency in the world. The main international trading partners of South Africa are Germany, the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Spain. Good exportations include corn, diamonds, fruits, gold, metals and minerals, sugar, and wool. Regarding the imports, machinery and transportation equipment make up more than one-third of the value of the country’s. Other important imports include chemicals, manufactured goods, and oil. On the other hand, South Africa has a big agricultural sector and is a net exporter of farming products. The agricultural industry contributes with 10% of formal employment. However, due to having a very arid land, only 13.5% can be used for crop production, and only 3% is considered high potential land. And for wine lovers, here’s a good piece of news. South Africa is the 8th largest wine producer in the world, and the 11th largest producer of sunflower seed. Livestock are also popular on South African farms, with the country producing 85% of all meat consumed. The dairy industry consists of around 4,300 milk producers.
Some of the most amazing places to visit in South Africa include the coastal towns of Hermanus, Cape Town, Knysna and Durban. From tasting the best wine in the world while watching the most beautiful landscape, to enjoying and adventure at a wild safari. You choose. First of all, Cape Town, the capital city of the country has a natural beauty that easily caught anyone’s attention. The top attractions in Cape Town include many places. Durban is situated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, on the east coast of the South Africa. The city is set on Natal Bay and benefits from warm waters making it one of South Africa's top vacation sites. Durban is also one of Africa's busiest and most important ports. It has a huge Indian population, descendents of workers brought in by the British to work in the sugarcane fields during the latter 19th century. The Indian street market is an interesting place with mosques and temples as well as plenty of shops and delicious food. Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is a working harbour and entertainment spot that you shouldn’t miss. You'll find some of Cape Town's best restaurants here along with an exciting nightlife. Robben Island is the place best known for having had Nelson Mandela spending 18 years in prison. In 1997 Robben Island was turned into a museum and also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has also become an extremely important symbol in the new South Africa. The museum's guides are usually prisoners themselves and listening to their stories makes a visit to Robben Island an emotional experience. And nature lovers have its place in Cape Town's Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It has over 9000 plants, which are grown there and where you can take several different walks through the 528 hectares that make up the gardens. The far north of the park is the wildest and most difficult area to access and because of this; it has alluring qualities for the real adventurer. However, the central and southern parts of the park have the best facilities for visitors, with an excellent network of roads and game-viewing waterholes. To completely satisfy the nature lovers, there is also the Victoria Falls, consider the widest curtain of falling water on earth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of only seven natural wonders on the planet. For sure, anyone who is eager to take part of a safari, should visit Kruger National Park, home of an estimated 1,800 lion, 9,125 elephant, 25,000 buffalo, unknown number of leopards and 2,300 black and white rhino. And for those who are not so adventurers, they could enjoy the approximately 500 bird species, some of them unique to this area, there is enough on the ground and in the air. Some of the biggest and most impressive birds to be seen here are the ground hornbill, martial eagle, lappet-faced vulture, kori bustard and saddle-billed stork.
And to the surprise of many people, South Africa is also very well known for its medical innovation and its standards in providing world-class healthcare and expertise at affordable costs. The country has been attracting foreign patients for numerous procedures in uncountable health specialties; particularly for a variety of cosmetic and dental procedures. Europeans, especially from Germany, Italy, and the UK, have been visiting South Africa for many years to undergo plastic surgery. They have been drawn to the country due to the highly-qualified surgeons available, the excellent private clinics and the reasonable prices. The most popular procedures in South Africa are breast augmentation and reduction, face lifts, liposuction, and nose and ear corrections. Dental surgery and tooth implants, eye surgery and laser treatments, and fertility treatments are also highly appreciated by tourists.
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