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These resources also led to the Boer war that was fought between the British and the Boers. Finally, it bred the social phenomenon called 'Apartheid'. After all the historical turbulence, the 1990s saw the abolishment of the Apartheid.
The country is so located that it is bordered by water bodies on three sides.the country of South Africa is situated in the southern extreme of the African continent. The country is so located that it is bordered by water bodies on three sides.
The other unique feature about the country is that the country of Lesotho lies completely engulfed in the eastern side. The immediate political neighbors of South Africa are Swaziland and Mozambique to the northeast and Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the north. Lying in the southern hemisphere, its eastern, western and southern borders are lined by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Three major types of land forms dominate the country of South Africa. They are the coastal regions, plateaus and mountain ranges. Each of these three types of landscape is and important feature of South Africa. The plateaus occur in the interior regions of the country, while the hills and mountain ranges are dry and rugged. The most important of these plateaus is the Karoo plateau which further ascends to form mountains. Then there is the Kalahari Desert to the northwest of the country. While the plateaus and hills are craggy, the coastal regions are plain and very tropical. The coldest region in the country is the Sutherland which lies to the west of the Roggeveld Mountains. The other high range is the Drakensberg Mountains which provides for an ideal skiing paradise. The country's two chief rivers are the Limpopo, and the Orange.
the South African flag is rectangular in shape and is made up of a very pro-African color scheme. The colors dominating the flag are red, black, white, green and blue. The color distribution in the flag is dependent on the horizontal green "Y" that stretches from the left to the right. This "Y" is edged by thin white borders. The outer sides of the arms and both the sides of the stalk of the "Y" have a have a white border, while the inner arms of the "Y" have a yellow one. Encased by this yellow border is a black isosceles triangle on the left side. The colors red and blue colors appear on either sides of the stalk of the horizontal "Y": red on the top and blue at the bottom.
Climate of South Africa
most of the country of South Africa boasts of a semiarid clime. However, the coastal regions in the east experiences subtropical conditions. The country, which would otherwise have been hot, is tempered by the ocean currents that come in from three sides of the country. Otherwise, South Africa is primarily sunny and warm. In fact, the plateau in the interiors of South Africa go a long way to contributing to the country's warm climate. Being relatively dry, South Africa receives most of its rainfall in the summer months which occur between September and April. The winters fall between May and August.
Flora and Fauna of South Africa
given that the South Africa Geography is semiarid and subtropical, the plant life that abounds falls under the hard-leaved and evergreen variety. There are also several flowering varieties that are to be found in the region; of them the proteas are the most common variety. However, South Africa is devoid of forest land. The only forest region in the country lies near the coastal regions and the midlands. Eucalyptuses and pines are some of the imported varieties. Rare species of trees like ironwoods, yellowwoods and stinkwoods fall under the protection of 'nature protection'. However, when you come to the fauna in the country, you are sure to be swamped with names and choices. Some of the animal species are africanis, quagga, elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo, giraffe, hippo, white rhino, cheetah, wildebeest, zebra, nocturnal bushbabies, vervet, samango monkeys, chacma baboons, Dassies, meerkats, aardvark, aardwolf, clawless otter, spotted-necked otter, hyaena, jackal, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, black-footed cat, civet, genet, mongoose, various antelopes like the duiker, sable antelope and kudu. There are a lot of reptiles in South Africa too; among them are crocodiles, loggerhead turtles, leatherback turtles, tortoises, chameleons and over 100 species of snakes and vipers like the python, puffadder, green mamba, black mamba, boomslang and rinkhals. Avian fauna consists of many migratory varieties along with non-migratory ones. Some of the birds you can see in the country are the cuckoos, kingfishers, ostriches, hornbills, Little Brown Jobs or LBJs, grey louries, mousebirds, hoopoes, hadeda ibises, crested barbets, black-collared barbets, Cape whiteyes, olive thrushes, Burchell's coucal, blue cranes, eagles, vultures, bee-eaters, sunbirds, lilac-breasted roller, knysna and purple-crested louries. Marine fauna mostly comprises of migratory varieties like the blue whale, killer whale, southern right whale and white shark; aside of the regular species like rock lobster, abalone, sardines and pilchards.
People of South Africa:
In the around 47 million population of South Africa, 75% are black Africans. They are divided into two major categories: the Nguni and the Sotho. Under the Nguni fall the Ndebele, the Swazi, the Xhosa and Zulu tribes; while the Sotho houses the Tswana, Pedi and Basotho tribes. The white race in the country originates from different parts of Europe - the Dutch and the British being the majority. Then there are also plenty of Asians, of whom Indians are to be found in considerable numbers.
Arts, Culture and Music of South Africa:
Art: the Bushman or San tribal people had a form of rock painting called as the 'rock art' which is a famous art form in South Africa. In fact, contemporary artists have derived inspiration from it. Some of the other popular traditional arts in South Africa are wire art, bead crafts, "T-Bag Design" crafts, African art forms in ceramics and textiles, Porcupine art or the "Raku Art of Africa", embroidery, toys, Ndebele beadwork, recycled paper handcrafts and jewelry and mirror works.
Culture: about 75% of the population is made up of black Africans. So, the dominant culture of South Africa belongs to the two broad categories of the blacks are the Nguni and the Sotho. The rest of the population comprises of a mix of whites - who come from different parts pf Europe - and Asians. So, South African culture is a medley of cultures ranging from different regions.
Music: given that South Africa is ethnically diverse, 'South African music' came into being only with the influx of missionaries into the country. It was they who were the first ones to provide training for music in an organized fashion. The traditional music of South Africa comes under several categories as all of them have distinct origins. So, there is the Sotho-traditional, which is also called the Zulu-traditional, Tsonga-traditional, Zulu a cappella, Pedi-traditional, Afrikaans music and Venda-traditional. The Afrikaans music has Dutch origins with influences from France and Germany. The chief instruments of the country are drums like tama talking drums, bougarabou, djembe, water drums and engoma (ngoma); xylophones; mbira; slit gongs; rattles; double bells; stringed instruments like musical bows, harps, Kora and fiddles; then there are also the wind- blown instruments such as flutes and trumpets.
Economy of South Africa:
South Africa is a treasure trove of natural wealth; and most of the country's finances are dependent on these naturally occurring resources. It is also one of the countries where almost all the mineral finds have an immense international market. Some of the natural resources of the country, apart from arable land, are phosphates, natural gas, gold, salt, chromium, vanadium, antimony, copper, coal, Platinum, iron ore, diamonds, manganese, uranium, nickel and tin. So, it is evident that mining is South Africa's most important industry. There are, however, other important industries like assembling automobiles, metalwork, chemicals, machinery manufacturing, fertilizer, textiles, garments, iron and steel, food packaging and processing and ship repairing. Most of these commodities that are mined and manufactured form a part of the list of export commodities. Given that South Africa has extremely fertile lands, the crop produces sugarcane, corn, fruits, wheat and vegetables.
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