South Africa
Our trip for today will be the destination of South Africa
.South Africa is located in the southernmost part of the African continent, bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini. It also completely surrounds the Kingdom of Lesotho, with an area of about 1,220,000 square kilometers.
The majority of South Africa's population is black, making up about 80% of the population. The rest of the population is African of European origin (white South Africans), while the Asians vary between Indian and Chinese origin, and there are multiracial races known as colored people. The Republic of South Africa is highly diverse, encompassing a wide range of cultures, languages, religions and ethnicities
. This is reflected in its pluralistic structure in the South African Constitution's recognition of 12 official languages, the fourth highest number in the world. According to the 2011 census, the two most commonly spoken first languages are Zulu (22.7%) and Xhosa (16.0%). Then there are the two languages of European origin: Afrikaans (13.5%). This language developed from Dutch and is often the first language of most colored people and whites in South Africa. Finally, the English language (9.6%) represents the legacy of British colonialism and is commonly used in public life and business.
South Africa has an amazing natural diversity that includes vast plains, high mountains such as the Drakensberg Mountains, and deserts such as the Kalahari Desert. Its long coastline extends to the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
The climate regions in South Africa are diverse, with the climate ranging from a Mediterranean climate in the southwest, a semi-desert climate in the northwest, and a temperate climate in the southeast.
The population of South Africa, according to the 2022 census, was about 62,027,503 people. The population of South Africa consists of multiple elements, and was divided according to racial discrimination systems into two groups: whites and non-whites. The number of whites is about 5 million people, while the number of nationalists, namely the Bantu tribes, is more than 24 million, and the number of colored people and Asians is 4 million, meaning that the number of non-whites is close to 29 million, and thus they constitute the majority of the population of the Union of South Africa, and the white minority consists of the population. South Africa consists of European elements who immigrated to South Africa during the occupation of this region, and from white elements Dutch, Germans, British, and French. This mixture of elements called themselves Afrikaners, creating a new nationalism from this diaspora. They spoke a language derived from Dutch mixed with German and English words, which they called the Afrikaans language.
South Africa has 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans, as well as English, which is widely used in business and government.
South Africa is known for its great biodiversity, with famous nature reserves such as the Kruger National Park, which is home to a wide range of wildlife including the “Big Five” (lion, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, and rhino).
The racial and ethnic conflict between the white minority and the black majority occupied a large part of the country’s history and policies. The National Party began introducing the policy of apartheid after winning the general elections of 1948, and it is the same party that began dismantling this policy in 1990 after a long struggle with the black majority and anti-racist groups from Whites and Indians. South Africa is one of the few African countries that has not witnessed a coup d'état, and has held elections since 1994.
The name "South Africa" is derived from the country's geographical location on the southern edge of Africa. Upon its formation, the country was called the Union of South Africa, reflecting its origins in the union of four separate former British colonies. Since 1961, the official long name in English has been: "Union of South Africa", and Republiek van Suid-Afrika in Afrikaans. Since 1994, the country has had an official name in each of its eleven languages.
South Africa has a moderate climate in general, except for the far southwest of the country, where the eastern trade winds from the Indian Ocean blow. Due to the location of South Africa to the south of the equator, the seasons of the year are opposite to those that prevail in the northern hemisphere, and the climate varies. Depending on the diversity of altitudes, wind directions, and sea currents, The Cape Mountains enjoy a warm and dry climate in the summer and a cold and rainy climate in the winter. The coastal region is hot and humid in the summer and sunny and dry in the winter. The eastern plateaus are hot during the day and moderate at night in the summer and moderate during the day and cold at night in the winter. Temperatures usually drop. It reaches below zero during the winter in the plateaus, and rainfall ranges between 65-100 cm per year. Rainfall is less on the southern coast and rare in the desert area.
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