South Africa covers 1.23 million square km – an area roughly five times the size of Britain.
As a nation of more than 43 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and religions, the country also has 11 official languages: Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Pedi, English, Sotho, Ndebele, Setswana, Venda, siSewati and Tsonga.
South Africa has the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest in the world. Very much Africa's superpower, South Africa has the continent's biggest economy, with strong financial and manufacturing sectors. It is a leading exporter of minerals (almost 40% of the gold mined on Earth has come from South Africa) and tourism is a key source of foreign exchange. However, many South Africans remain poor and unemployment is high.
Cape Town has the fifth-best blue sky in the world according to the UK’s National Physical Laboratory.
South Africa is often called the “Rainbow Nation”, a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela, who used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to South Africa’s diverse population as 77% of the population is African, 11% is white, 9% is `coloured’ (a term without negative connotations, which refers to mixed race descendants of slaves, white settlers and Africans) and 3% is Indian.
South Africa is famous for its incredible natural beauty. It has some of the most extreme and varied environments in the world, from tropical beaches of KwaZulu Natal to the vast emptiness of the Kalahari Desert. However, the country is also water-starved as the country’s annual rainfall is almost half that of the world average (464 mm compared to 860 mm).
Looking down on Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain
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