Overview

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho. South Africa is often referred to as "The Rainbow Nation", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then-President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology. The country's socially progressive policies are rare in Africa. By 2007, the country had joined Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Canada in extending the right of marriage to GLBT people. South Africa will be the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will be the first time the tournament is held in Africa.

Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

Short History

In 1948, the National Party was elected to power, and began implementing a series of harsh segregationist laws that would become known collectively as apartheid. Not surprisingly, this segregation also applied to the wealth acquired during rapid industrialization of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. While the white minority enjoyed the highest standard of living in all of Africa, often comparable to "First World" western nations, the black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. However, the average income and life expectancy of a black, 'Indian' or 'colored' South African compared favorably to many other African states, such as Ghana and Tanzania.

Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread sanctions and divestment abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance, strikes, marches, protests, and sabotage, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the African National Congress (ANC), followed. In 1990, the National Party government took the first step towards negotiating itself out of power when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other left-wing political organizations, and released Nelson Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration on a sabotage sentence. Apartheid legislation was gradually removed from the statute books, and the first multi-racial elections were held in 1994. The ANC won by an overwhelming majority and has been in power ever since.

Despite the end of apartheid, millions of South Africans, mostly black, continue to live in poverty. This is partly attributed to the legacy of the apartheid system (although poverty is also a problem throughout much of Africa), and, increasingly, what many see as the failure of the current government to tackle social issues, coupled with the monetary and fiscal discipline of the current government to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. In the ten years since the ANC government took power, South Africa's United Nations Human Development Index has fallen dramatically, while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s. Much of this could be attributed to the AIDS pandemic and the government's failure to take steps to address it. However, the ANC's social housing policy has produced some improvement in living conditions in many areas by redirecting fiscal spending and improving the efficiency of the tax collection system.

Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

Economy

By UN classification South Africa is a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange (the JSE Securities Exchange), that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. South Africa's per capita GDP, corrected for purchasing power parity, positions the country as one of the fifty wealthiest in the world.

In many respects, South Africa is developed; however, this development is significantly localized around four areas, namely Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Pretoria/Johannesburg. Beyond these four economic centers, development is marginal and poverty still reigns despite Government strategies. At the start of 2000, President Thabo Mbeki vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment by relaxing restrictive labor laws, stepping up the pace of privatization, and cutting unneeded governmental spending. His policies face strong opposition from organized labor.

It is estimated that South Africa accounts for up to 30% of the gross domestic product of the entire African continent. South Africa is also the continent's largest energy producer and consumer. The rand, the world's most actively-traded emerging market currency, has joined an elite club of fifteen currencies, the Continuous linked settlement (CLS), where forex transactions are settled immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across time zones. The South African rand (ZAR) was the best performing currency against the US dollar between 2002 and 2005, according to the Bloomberg Currency Scorecard.

Refugees from poorer neighboring countries abound with immigrants from the DRC, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and many others representing a large portion of the informal sector. With high unemployment levels amongst poorer South Africans, xenophobia is a very real fear and many people born in South Africa feel resentful of immigrants who are seen to be depriving the native population of jobs, a feeling which has been given credibility by the fact that many South African employers have employed migrants from other countries for lower pay than South African citizens, especially in the construction, tourism, agriculture and domestic service industries. Illegal immigrants are also heavily involved in informal trading. However, many immigrants to South Africa continue to live in poor conditions, and the South African immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive since 1994.

Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

Culture

It may be argued that there is no "single" culture in South Africa because of its ethnic diversity. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. There is great diversity in music from South Africa. Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans or English during apartheid have since begun to sing in traditional African languages, and have developed a unique style called Kwaito.

The art of South Africa's indigenous populations can be one of the only ways to connect with lost cultures. Rock and cave paintings by the San, some of which date back 26,000 years, are a case in point. In other cases, such as the elaborate 'coded' beadwork of the Zulus, traditional art has been adapted to survive in different circumstances. Zulu is one of the strongest surviving black cultures and massed Zulu singing at Inkatha Freedom Party demonstrations is a powerful expression of this ancient culture. The Xhosa also have a strong presence; they are known as the red people because of the red-dyed clothing worn by most adults. The Ndebele are a related group, who live in the north-western corner of what is now Mpumalanga in strikingly painted houses.

The country's black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people, however, that traditional dance and music survive; as blacks have become increasingly urbanized and westernized, aspects of traditional culture have declined. Urban blacks usually speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native tongue.

The white minority's lifestyle is similar in many respects to that of whites found in Western Europe, North America and Australasia. Despite considerable discrimination under apartheid, Coloreds tend to relate more to white South African culture rather than black South African culture, especially Afrikaans-speaking Colored people whose language and religious beliefs are similar or identical to white Afrikaners. The exceptions are colored individuals and families who were personally involved in the struggle against apartheid and who prefer to be called black. Such cases are generally in the minority.

South Africa has a large, free, and active press that regularly challenges the government, a habit formed during the apartheid era when the press was the medium least controlled by the government. South Africa currently has two terrestrial free-to-air television networks, one subscription based terrestrial network, as well as has access to satellite television.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new South Africa is that the country is in the process of reinventing itself and, with such a large proportion of the population marginalized from the economic mainstream, this is occurring without much input from professional image makers. Hopeful signs include gallery retrospectives of black artists, both contemporary and traditional, and musicians from around Africa performing in major festivals. The new South Africa culture is being created on the streets of the townships and cities.

Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

Tourism

South Africa is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world. Exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture offer the traveler a unique and inspiring experience. South Africa is a heady mix of third and first world cultures - along with the best and least crowded beaches in the world.

Cape Town and Peninsula Attractions & Destinations: With its majestic Table Mountain backdrop, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Between the high-rise office blocks, Edwardian and Victorian buildings have been meticulously preserved, and many outstanding examples of Cape Dutch architecture are found.

Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route: Plettenberg Bay is characterized by sweeping, unspoiled golden beaches, a dramatic rocky peninsula, intriguing lagoons and estuaries, towering indigenous forests and unpolluted rivers and sea.

The Sunshine Coast, South Africa: The Sunshine Coast incorporates more then a million hectares of malaria free game reserve. Stretching from Port Elizabeth in the west to East London in the east, it boasts hundreds of kilometers of shining beaches that bask in sunshine.

Mpumalanga Highlands - The Highlands Meander: Dubbed the 'Trout Mecca' this region has an abundance of pristine fishing waters that never cease to lure fly fishers in their droves. The imposing mountains and rivers of the Meander presents the opportunity for rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, hot air ballooning and paragliding to mention a few.

Capricorn Region | The Limpopo, Central Region: The Capricorn region stretches from the Ysterberg, all along the foothills of the lush Wolkberg, to the tropic of Capricorn in the north. The region is also in close proximity to the neighboring countries of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Xhariep, Free State: This is a region of vast grassy plains and endless vistas, where the visitor can enjoy the open blue skies - star-studded at night - and the fresh unpolluted air.

Diamond Fields Destinations and Attractions: During the world's greatest diamond rush, hordes of prospectors converged on the region. Today, Kimberley is a modern city, but the extraordinary saga of its past, an aura of adventure and drama, seems ever-present. It's easy to conjure up a picture of the diggers and loafers who once inhabited the dusty shanty town.

South Africa Explored: http://www.sa-venues.com/

HIV/AIDS

Southern Africa remains the region worst-affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A combination of factors seem to be responsible for this including: poverty and social instability, high levels of sexually transmitted infections, the low status of women, sexual violence, high mobility (particularly migrant labor), and lack of good governance.

South Africa has the sixth highest prevalence of HIV in the world, with 18.8% of the population estimated to be infected. The UNAIDS 2006 Global Report, estimated that 320 000 people died of AIDS related deaths in South Africa during 2005. New infections are still increasing with no signs of reaching a natural limit. The total number of South Africans living with the virus at the end of 2005, was estimated by UNAIDS to be in the region of 5.5 million.

Obtaining accurate statistics on the number of children orphaned as a result of AIDS is problematic: if orphans are defined as children under the age of 17 whose mothers have died, UNAIDS estimates that there were 1, 200, 000 orphans due to AIDS living in South Africa at the end of 2005. Women face a greater risk of HIV infection. On average in South Africa there are three women infected with HIV for every two men who are infected. The difference is greatest for the 15-24 age group in which three young women for every one young man are infected.

The South African Government's response to the epidemic is grounded in the HIV/AIDS and STD Strategic Plan, the purpose of which is to provide a broad national framework around four priority areas: prevention; treatment, care and support; research, monitoring and evaluation; human and legal rights. A combination of weak infrastructure and human capacity constraints are major challenges in expanding HIV and AIDS programs. The AIDS pandemic was superimposed on an already overstretched health services and has further compounded the capacity problem. The government is aiming to address the capacity problems to scale up service delivery. Coordination of prevention efforts is also a challenge that has been identified. Emerging issues that need to be addressed to strengthen the national response include:

• Scaling up prevention programs to reduce new HIV infections;
• Supporting the rollout of the National Comprehensive Plan to ensure that those who need access to treatment, care and support receive it;
• Addressing health-care system capacity through tackling the shortage of health-care workers and strengthening skills across the public health sector;
• Strengthening the national health-care system through the implementation of the National Comprehensive plan, and
• Supporting the harmonization of the National Monitoring and Evaluation framework.

Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
AIDS Foundation South Africa: http://www.aids.org.za/hiv.htm
UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org/en/Regions_Countries/Countries/south_africa.asp
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/