South Africa - Information
The locals have long known it, and now visitors agree: South Africa is the most beautiful country on earth. In the 2006 Reader's Travel Awards by magazine Condé Nast Traveller, South Africa's scenery scored 97.8% - the highest in the world - with the country being voted the world's fifth-best tourist destination.
South Africa has more than 2 500 kilometres of coastline, stretching from the arid Kalahari in the north west all the way to the lush St Lucia estuary in the east. Take a photographic trip along SA's varied seashores, from the cold Atlantic of the Northern Cape to the scuba diver's paradise of Sodwana Bay.
South Africa is big sky country, with its vast mountain ranges and their ragged peaks falling into lush green river valleys. Take a tour of our more dramatic scenery...
Step out of the urban centres and tourist areas and you'll find a different South Africa. The countryside is an unexplored place of contrasts, from elegant wine estates and vast monoculture grain farms to subsistence farmers who coax a living from near-desert conditions and nomadic shepherds who herd their goats across the country's remote and beautiful rural landscape.
From the stark desert and spectacular sunsets of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to the dense green coastal forests of Tsitsikamma, the rich wildlife heritage of the Kruger National Park (a territory larger than Israel) and ancient cultural heritage of Mapungubwe.
FACT SHEET
LOCATION
South Africa lies at the southern tip of Africa. The country’s borders are the Indian Ocean on the East, the Atlantic Ocean on the West, giving it a coastline of approximately 3000 kilometres. Several neighbouring countries bordering the North includes Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Two independent states are located within the borders of South Africa namely Swaziland and Lesotho.
SIZE
The country covers an area of 1,13 million square kilometres. This is about five times the size of the United Kingdom and nearly thirty three times the size of the Netherlands.
TIME DIFFERENCES
There is only one time zone within the entire South Africa. Throughout the year (no difference between summer and wintertime) standard time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
CLIMATE
Situated in the Southern Hemisphere summers occur during November, December and January. Winters occur during May, June and July. Rainfall ranges summer rainfall in the North to winter rainfall (Mediterranean) in the South. The average number of sunshine is 8,5 hours per day, making it amongst the highest in the world and ideal to visit South Africa all year round.
Average temperatures in major tourist areas are in degrees Celsius:
| Johannesburg | summer 25 | winter 18 |
| Pretoria | summer 27 | winter 21 |
| Kruger Park | summer 29 | winter 23 |
| Durban | summer 26 | winter 23 |
| Cape Town | summer 24 | winter 23 |
SAFETY
It is only sensible to take the same precautions in major cities as you would in any other part of the world.
PROVINCES AND MAJOR CITIES
The country is divided into nine provinces: Gauteng, Northern Province, North-West, Mpumalanga, Freestate, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape. The major cities are Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.
POPULATION AND LANGUAGE
About 43 million people reside in South Africa permanently. Presently South Africa has 11 official languages of which English is spoken throughout the country.
TRANSPORT
South Africa has an excellent infrastructure of tarred roads. Automobiles are driven on the left-hand side of the road. Taxis and rental cars are located at all major airports and stations. Several air, rail and road services link major centres.
ACCOMMODATION
The star gradings of accommodation establishments, which are members of SATOUR’s National Grading and Classification Scheme, are indicated as follows:
-
* Comfortable
** Good
*** Very Good
**** Excellent
***** Outstanding
SHOPPING
Generally shops are open from 08:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. In major centres there are extended shopping hours and shops are open on Sundays.
BANKING
Banks are open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:30, and on Saturdays from 08:30 to 11:00.
CURRENCY
The currency unit is Rand indicated by the symbol R, and divided into 100 cents.
R 1 = 100 c. Bank notes are available in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Foreign currency can be exchanged at commercial banks, American Express and Rennies Travel.
CREDIT CARDS
All major credit cards eg: American Express, Diners Club, Visa and Mastercard are accepted throughout South Africa. Traveler’s cheques are also accepted.
VAT (Value Added Tax)
Included in the price of most goods and services at the current rate of 14%. Foreign visitors are required to pay VAT, but they may claim refunds on VAT paid items taken out of the country. Refunds may be claimed at the airport of departure.
TIPPING
Depending on the level of service a minimum of 10% applies and is not included in the amount charged. R 5 per suitcase/bag applies to porters.
ELECTRICITY
City and town power systems operate at 220/250 volts. Adapters are obtainable locally.
WATER
Throughout South Africa, water from a tap is safe to consume.
HEALTH
Excellent medical care facilities are available throughout South Africa. Visitors to the Eastern part of the country as well as Zimbabwe are recommended to take Malaria precautions.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES
A well maintained infrastructure of telecommunication exists throughout South Africa. Cellular/Mobile phones operate from and can be reached on all major routes and can be hired at major airports. The international dialing code to South Africa is +27.