Diversity is a key feature of South Africa, where 11
languages are recognised as official, where community leaders include
rabbis and chieftains, rugby players and returned exiles, where
traditional healers ply their trade around the corner from stockbrokers
and where housing ranges from mud huts to palatial homes with swimming
pools.
Area: 1,228,376 sq km
Population: 42.6 million (est 2005)
Capital City: Pretoria/Tshwane (1.25 million)
People: African/Black, white, coloured, Indian/Asian
Languages: South Africa has eleven officially
recognised languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho,
Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Religion(s): All principal religions are represented in South Africa, but the majority is Christian (nearly 85% at the 1996 census).
Currency: (ZAR) Rand (100 cents = 1 Rand)
Major political parties: African National Congress
(ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), United
Democratic Movement (UDM), Independent Democrats (ID), South African
Communist Party (SACP)
Government: ANC Alliance - ANC/SACP/Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Head of State: President Mr Thabo Mbeki
Foreign Minister: Dr Clarice Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Membership of international groupings/organisations:
United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, Non Aligned
Movement (NAM), Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Beachcomber 