Geography
Situated at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa has a landmass of 1,233,404km² edged on 3 sides by 3000km of coastline washed by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. It is bordered in the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and also wraps itself around two independent countries, Lesotho and Swaziland.
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Climate
South Africa is known for its temperate climate and enjoys long sunny days. Most of the provinces do have summer rainfall. Summer is from November to February and Winter is from May to August.
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Tourism
Since the demise of apartheid, international tourist arrivals have surged, making tourism one of the fastest-growing sectors.
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Economy
South Africa has achieved steady economic growth since the late 90s. The country, regarded as an emerging market, has a well developed financial sector and active stock exchange
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Currency
South Africa’s currency is the rand, which offers visitors great value for money
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Population
South Africa has a population of around 49 million.
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Communications
South Africa has a well developed communications infrastructure and there are many cell-phone providers. Internet and wi-fi are widely available in most urban areas
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Provinces
There are 9 provinces in South Africa: Eastern Cape, Free State, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga
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Languages
South Africa is a multi-lingual country and there are 11 official languages of which English and Afrikaans are the most widely used.
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