Location
South Africa is located on the southern tip of the African continent, bordered by northern neighbours Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It encompasses the independent mountain kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland and is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the warm Indian Ocean on the east - giving the country its spectacular range of biodiversity.

Climate
South Africa enjoys a temperate and pleasant climate, with warm sunny days most of the year. The seasons of the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere so our summer runs from November to February, when most of the country is characterised by warm to hot weather.

History
The earliest recorded inhabitants of this area of Africa were the San (Bushmen) and the closely related Khoikhoi (Hottentots).  The next arrivals were Bantu-speaking tribes who, by the 11th century, had settled the northeast and east coast and, by the 15th century, most of the eastern part of South Africa.  These tribes were pastoral but they had trade links throughout the region.  They were Iron Age peoples, and the smelting techniques of some tribes were not surpassed in Europe until the Industrial Revolution.
The Dutch East Africa Company established the first European settlement in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.  The settlers developed a close-knit community with their own dialect (Afrikaans) and Calvinist Sect (the Dutch Reform Church).  Slaves were imported from other parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

Over the next 150 years, the colonists spread east, coming into violent contact with Bantu tribes.  In 1779 the eastward expansion of the Boers (Dutch-Afrikaaner farmers) was temporarily halted by the Xhosa in the first Bantu War.
Further Boer expansion was hastened after the British annexed the Cape in 1806.  The abolition of slavery in 1834 was regarded by the Boers as intolerable interference in their affairs, and let to migration across the Orange River two years later.  This became known as the Great Trek.
Pressure on the Bantu from both the Boers and the British caused political and social changes among the tribes of the Natal area, resulting in the rise of the Zulu king Shaka in the early 19th century.  His policy of total war on neighbouring tribes caused immense suffering and mass migration in a period known as the difaqane (the scattering).
The Boers came into this chaos in search of new lands, and the British were not far behind them.  The Zulu were eventually defeated, but relations between the Boers and the British remained tense – particularly after the formation of the Boer republics of the Free State and Transvaal.
Diamonds were discovered in 1867 at Kimberley, followed by the discovery of gold in 1886 on the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  The Boer republics were flooded with British capital and immigrants, which created further resentment among the Boer farmers.
The British imperialist Cecil Rhodes encouraged a rebellion among the heavily taxed English-speaking miners in the Transvaal, with a view to destabilising the Boer republics and encouraging British intervention.  The resulting tensions led to the 1899-1902 Anglo-Boer War.

The war ended with the defeat of the Boer republics and the imposition of British rule over the whole country.  Britain had pursued a scorched earth policy to combat Boer guerrillas, destroying homes, crops and livestock.  During this time more than 26,000 Afrikaner women and children died in the world’s first concentration camps.
In 1910 the Union of South Africa was created, which gave political control to the whites.  This prompted black resistance in the form of strikes and political organisations were formed. One of the most important organisations to oppose racist legislation was the African National Congress (ANC).  As it became clear that the government was unwilling to undertake reforms, violence and guerrilla warfare became the preferred option for the ANC.  While the ANC saw themselves as freedom fighters they were viewed by the government as terrorists and in the early 1960’s many of its leaders were arrested and imprisoned for long periods; the most famous of those was Nelson Mandela.
The international community finally began to oppose the apartheid regime, and the UN imposed economic and political sanctions on South Africa.

After the 1989 elections the new president, FW de Klerk, instituted a program that was aimed not only at dismantling the apartheid system but also at introducing democracy.  The release of political prisoners on 11th February 1990 (including Nelson Mandela) and the signing of a peace accord with the ANC and other opposition groups all opened the way for negotiations on the path to majority rule.
The country’s first democratic elections took place in 1994.  Nelson Mandela became president of the ‘new’ South Africa and the old flag and national anthem were replaced by a six-coloured flag representing the county’s diversity and the anthem Nkosi Sikele Afrika (God Bless Africa).
In 1999, Thabo Mbeki took over the presidential role.  The South African economy is prospering, and the country is welcoming more visitors than ever before to the Rainbow Nation.

Culture
All over South Africa you will be treated to fantastic visual feast of fabulous costumes, bare-breasted dancing girls and animal-skin-clad warriors brandishing stabbing spears and singing rousing war songs.  These things are all a part of South African culture and many of these practices are still maintained - even in the cities. But there is more to African culture than beads and breasts and beating drums.

With 11 national languages and a gold mine of cultural heritage, South Africa provides a back drop to an incredibly diverse range of customs and traditions.  The population is one of the most complex and diverse in the world. Of the 45 million South Africans, nearly 31 million are Black, 5 million White, 3 million Coloured and one million Indian.

The Black population is divided into four major ethnic groups, namely Nguni, Sotho, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda. There are numerous subgroups of which the Zulu and Xhosa (two subgroups of the Nguni) are the largest. The majority of the White population is of Afrikaans descent (60%), with many of the remaining 40% being of British descent. Most of the Coloured population live in the Northern and Western Cape provinces, whilst most of the Indian population live in KwaZulu Natal. The Afrikaner population is concentrated in the Gauteng, Northern Cape and Free State provinces and the English population in the Western and Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal.
The distribution of languages spoken is wide and varied, the figures below detail their dispersal throughout the country’s nine provinces:

Time
South African standard Time is two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 2), one hour in advance of central European winter time and seven hours in advance of United States eastern standard time throughout the year. There are no time zone differences within the country.
Phoning Abroad from South Africa
If you wish to make a call overseas, you must first dial 09, which is South Africa's international access code. You then dial the country code, area code of the city or region and the number of the person you wish to call. e.g. if you make a call to Sydney, Australia, telephone number 456 1234 you must dial 09 61 2 456 1234

Electricity
South Africa operates on 220/230 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. Three pronged plugs are universal, so bring an adapter. Most hotel rooms have 110 volt outlets for electric shavers and small appliances. Most campsites also have power points available for guest use.

Tipping
Tipping is customary in South Africa. A guideline for visitors is the following: Porters R5 per item, taxis 10%, waiters and waitresses in restaurants 10 - 15%.

Money
One Rand (R) = 100 cents (c). Notes issued R200, R100, R50, R20, R10; coins R5, R2, R1, 50c 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c, & 1c. Currency exchange rates are available at banks and published daily in the press.

Banking Hours
Monday to Friday:      09h00 to 15h30
Saturday:         09h00 to 11h00
Autobanks (ATM's, automated teller machines) are found in most towns and operate on a 24 hour basis.
Traveller’s Cheques
Most international traveller's cheques are accepted provided they are in an acceptable currency and may be cashed at most banks. Many hotels and shops also provide this service.

Volunteering Info
Under Construction