(Republic of South Africa)

General Information:

• Location: Southern Africa
• Capital: Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein
• Language(s): English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Swazi, Zulu, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga (Thonga, Shangaan), Bavenda (Venda) and Xhosa (Xosa)
• Population: 59,622,350
• Total Area: 1,221,037 sq km
• Currency: Rand
• Curious Alcohol Fact: For those in love with the bottle, South Africa is the place to be with its thriving wine industries and numerous breweries.
• Annual Average Liquor Consumption Per Capita: 9.44 liters
• Most Popular Drink(s): South African wines and beers – best enjoyed with our South Africa shot glass souvenirs

South Africa Travel Video:

Video courtesy: touropia

The Country

One of the most popular countries on the continent, the Republic of South Africa in the southernmost tip of Africa, and that means that the name is an apt description of its geographical location. When it comes to the issue of capitals, the nation is unique as it has three different capital cities unlike many other countries in the world known for having only one capital city.

These are Pretoria, which is the executive capital and Cape Town, the seat of legislative duties. The third is the city of Bloemfontein, which is the judicial capital. There are nine different provinces in the country and another unique thing with the country is that inside it is an entire country (Lesotho). The nation has thousands of kilometers of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The People

South Africa is so diverse that many people refer to it as the ‘Rainbow Nation’ to reflect the diversity of the people in the land. South Africans have been divided into four different groups based on considerations of the various races.

Thus, we have the White, Colored, Black and the Asian. However, the interesting is that the country is far more complex than these four groups, and it is quite easy to observe the heterogeneous nature of the population. The largest ethnic groups are the Swazi, Nun, Ndebele, Xhosa and the Zulus, and they make up over 50% of the entire population.

There are 11 languages listed as the official tongues and that surely makes the nation interesting –and diverse. South African citizens are known and respected across the globe and the most iconic of them all is the legendary Nelson Mandela.

Eating

Food is an integral part of the South African culture and it is also expected that there will be different dishes based on the diverse nature of the country. That is exactly the case as meals differ from province to province. However, one food that seems to be quite popular and accepted all over the country is a special barbeque called the braai.

You need to see the braai prepare to appreciate the amount of effort that goes into the making. Another dish that I found fascinating and delicious is called skop. It is actually the head of a goat and it boiled and spiced. That reminds me of a similar soup in Nigeria called isi-ewu, which is also made solely from goat heads.

Drinking

In South Africa, there is absolutely no problem with what to drink as the country itself is not just a major wine and beer producer; it also exports alcoholic drinks to various nations. Therefore, a tourist can sample as many fine wines and chilled beers as possible. The national beer is a brand called Castle. Soft drinks and fresh fruit juices are also sold.

South Africa souvenirs

Moreover, South Africa, with its several iconic symbols and landmarks. It has always been and remains one of the most popular places to purchase souvenirs. However, among the many options of South Africa-themed souvenirs, shot glasses are considered particularly and intriguing items for collecting or gifting.

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Special thanks to our contributors:
Adebayo Ahmed Adebola (Ilorin, Nigeria)
Daniel Krasnopolsky (Woodmere, NY, USA)