South-Africa

SOUTH-AFRICA

Information about travelling to South-Africa

South-Africa is located in Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Facts about South-Africa
Population48,782,756 note: es
CapitalPretoria (administrative capital)
Time zoneUTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capi
Location Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

General info about South-Africa
Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule under the African National Congress (ANC). ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 after President Thabo MBEKI resigned. Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded as interim president until general elections scheduled for 2009.
Disease threats
degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
Languages spoken
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
What about drugs?
transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African economy
Ethnic division
black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate
21.5% (2003 est.)
Climate
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Resources
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Economy
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2008 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2008 due to the global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. However, unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income.
Environment
lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification

Cities in South-Africa


National airlines
South African Airlinesairline website


Airports in South-Africa
AlldaysADY
Port AlfredAFD
AggeneysAGZ
KortdoornALJ
Bloemfontein InternationalBFN
BishoBIY
CradockCDO
Cape Town InternationaCPT
Durban InternationalDUR
EllisrasELL
East LondonELS
EmpangeniEMG
Ficksburg Sentra OesFCB
Grand CentralGCJ
GiyaniGIY
GeorgeGRJ
HeliportHBL
Randburg HeliportHCS
Hoedspruit AirportHDS
Iscor HeliportHIC
HluhluweHLW
Central HprHPR
Harrismith AirportHRS
HazyviewHZV
Johannesburg InternationalJNB
KimberleyKIM
KleinzeeKLZ
KurumanKMH
KomatipoortKOF
KlerksdorpKXE
LadysmithLAY
Louis TrichardtLCD
MalelaneLLE
Lime AcresLMR
LetabaLTA
LusikisikiLUJ
InternationalMBD
MkambatiMBM
MessinaMEZ
MargateMGH
MkuzeMZQ
Mossel BayMZY
NewcastleNCS
NelspruitNLP
PilansbergNTY
OudtshoornOUH
Plettenberg BayPBZ
PhalaborwaPHW
Port ElizabethPLZ
PrieskaPRK
Wonderboom AirportPRY
PietersburgPTG
PietermaritzburgPZB
RandgermistonQRA
Richards BayRCB
RobertsonROD
ReiviloRVO
SpringbokSBU
SishenSIS
SkukuzaSZK
Thaba NchuTCU
ThohoyandouTHY
TshipiseTSD
UlundiULD
ButterworthUTE
UpingtonUTN
UmtataUTT
QueenstownUTW
VirginiaVIR
VredendalVRE
VryburgVRU
VryheidVYD
WelkomWEL
SecundaZEC


Beer in South-Africa (0.33l)
Cape Town~ 0.8 EUR
Cape Town~ 0.8 EUR
Centurion~ 0.6 EUR
Durban~ 0.7 EUR
East London~ 0.5 EUR
Johannesburg~ 0.8 EUR
Pretoria~ 0.8 EUR
Ramsgate~ 0.5 EUR
Sandton~ 0.8 EUR

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