South Africa, officially known as the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and nicknamed Mzansi, is a country that boasts a wide variety of cultures, languages and religions.
The 1 219 690 km2 country is located at the southern tip of Africa. The mining services, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture are the key economic sectors.
South Africa has a population of 55,91 million people. Eleven official languages are spoken, namely, English, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, IsiNdebele, Afrikaans, SiSwati, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.
Johannesburg (Joburg, Jozi) is the largest city in South Africa, but the capitals are Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
The country has nine provinces, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
About 80% of South Africans are of black African ancestry the remaining population consists of Africa's largest communities of European (white), Asian (Indian), and multiracial (coloured) ancestry.
The currency used in South Africa is the Rand (ZAR). 100 cents equals one rand (R1).
South Africa has five mobile (cellular) networks and internet access is widely available.
Top quality healthcare facilities are available throughout the country although basic in rural areas. Inoculations are only required for those travelling from yellow-fever areas. Malaria precautions are necessary in some areas.
