South Africa occupies the most southern tip of Africa with its long coastline stretching more than 3 000 km from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then north to the border of subtropical Mozambique on the Indian Ocean.
The country has more than 290 conservation parks. It is home to almost 300 mammal species, about 860 bird species and 8 000 plant species. The annual sardine run is the biggest migration on the planet. South Africa comprises ten world heritage sites and is divided into eight biomes. The country is considered to be the cradle of humankind and boasts 40% of all hominid finds on Earth.
The land
Stretching latitudinally from 22°S to 35°S and longitudinally from 17°E to 33°E, South Africa’s surface area covers 1 219 602 km2.
Physical features range from bushveld, grasslands, forests, deserts and majestic mountain peaks to wide unspoilt beaches and coastal wetlands.
The country shares common boundaries with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, while the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho is landlocked by South African territory in the south-east.
The Prince Edward and Marion islands, annexed by South Africa in 1947, lie some 1 920 km south-east of Cape Town.
The warm Mozambique-Agulhas Current skirts the east and south coasts as far as Cape Agulhas, while the cold Benguela Current flows northwards along the west coast as far as southern Angola. The contrast in temperature between these two currents partly accounts for significant differences in climate and vegetation, as well as differences in marine life.
South Africa’s surface area falls into two major physiographic categories: the interior plateau, and the land between the plateau and the coast. Forming the boundary between these two areas is the Great Escarpment, the most prominent and continuous relief feature of the country. Its height above sea level varies from about 1 500 m in the dolerite-capped Roggeveld scarp in the south-west, to a height of 3 482 m in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg.
Languages
South Africa is a multicultural society that is characterized by its rich linguistic diversity. There are 11 official languages, each of which is guaranteed equal status. Most South Africans are multilingual and able to speak at least two or more of the official languages. Just over one quarter (25,3%) of individuals speak isiZulu at home, while 14,8% of individuals speak isiXhosa, and 12,2% speak Afrikaans. English is spoken by 8,1% of individuals at home, making it the sixth most common home language in South Africa. English is, however, the second most commonly spoken language outside the household (16,6%) after isiZulu (25,1%), and preceding isiXhosa (12,8%).
Religion
Enshrined in the South African constitution is the right for all people to practice their religion free from persecution. The most practiced religions in South Africa include Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism and Traditional African believes.
Climate
A subtropical location, moderated by ocean on three sides of the country and the altitude of the interior plateau, account for the warm temperate conditions. South Africa is a relatively dry country, with an average annual rainfall of about 464 mm. While the Western Cape gets most of its rainfall in winter, the rest of the country is generally a summer-rainfall region.
Temperatures in South Africa tend to be lower than in other countries at similar latitudes owing mainly to greater elevation above sea level.
On the interior plateau the altitude – Johannesburg lies at 1 694 m – keeps the average summer temperatures below 30°C. In winter, for the same reason, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing point or lower in some places. South Africa’s coastal regions are therefore relatively warm in winter. There is a striking contrast between temperatures on the country’s east and west coasts, owing respectively to the warm Agulhas Current and cold Benguela Current that sweep the coastlines.
Population
The South African population is about 64 million people. Approximately 51,1% (about 30,75 million) of the population is female and approximately 48,9% (about 29,39 million) is male. The black African population constitutes approximately 81% of the total South African population. The white population is estimated at 4,7 million, the coloured population at 5,2 million and the Indian/Asian population at 1,5 million. Gauteng comprises the largest share of the South African population, with approximately 15,2 million people (25,8%) living in this province. KwaZulu-Natal is the province with the second largest population, with an estimated 11,3 million people (19,2%) living in this province. With a population of approximately 1,26 million people (2,2%), Northern Cape remains the province with the smallest share of the South African population. About 28,3% of the population is aged younger than 15 years (17,04 million) and approximately 9,2% (5,51 million) is 60 years or older.