How long is the travel time to South Africa?
Can South Africa guarantee winter sun?
Are there modern banks?
Will I see the big five?
What about mobile phones and phoning home?
Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad [ˈkɑːpstɐt]; Xhosa: iKapa) is the second-most populated city in South Africa after Johannesburg,[4] and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbor as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point.
Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa. Today it is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. As of 2011 the metropolitan region had an estimated population of 3.74 million.[3] The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It has 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie the neighboring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while within it lies Lesotho, an enclave surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, and with close to 53 million people, is the world’s 24th-most populous nation.
South Africa is a multichannel society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions. This is reflected by the fact that 11 official languages are recognized in the constitution, among the highest number of any country in the world. Two of these languages are of European origin: English and Afrikaans, the latter originating from Dutch and serving as the main language of most white and coloured South Africans. Though English is commonly used in public and commercial life, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language.
About 80% of the South African population is of black African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, nine of which have official status. South Africa also hosts the African continent’s largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. All ethnic and linguistic groups have political representation in the country’s constitutional democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. Since the end of apartheid, South Africa’s unique multicultural character has been emphasized as a major element of its national identity, as expounded upon by the Rainbow Nation moniker and concept.