Facts

About South Africa

South Africa may not be the faint-hearted traveler seeking only a place to rest and relax. South Africa is a country still striving to re-identify itself and create a more progressive nation in the aftermath of apartheid. A country of many complexities as well as spectacular natural beauty, it has finally started reappearing as a travel destination on the continent. You must be prepared to experience all of the country, including its poverty, suffering due to AIDS as well as the violence that re-occurred all the time. If you can handle these gritty truths, then perhaps, South Africa has something to show you.

South Africa Facts

• Full Name: The Republic of South Africa
• Capital City: Pretoria (official); Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
• Area: 1,233,404 sq km/476,217 sq miles
• Population: 43,800,000
• Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 ()
• Languages: Zulu (official) Xhosa (official) Afrikaans (official) English (official) Tswana (official) Sotho, Southern (official) Swati (official) South Ndebele (official)
• Religion: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and traditional religions
• Currency: Rand (R)
• Electricity: 220/230V 50HzHz
• Electric Plug Details: South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin
• Country Dialing Code: 27