The national animal is the Springbok which roamed the country in herds of thousands in the early frontier days. Today it most commonly refers to the name of the national rugby side, the 'Springboks', 'boks' or 'amabokko'. The national flower is the Protea, named after the Greek God Proteus, as it takes so many varying forms of beauty. Most prolific in the Western Cape's Fynbos areas, proteas flower after the winter rains (some varieties were used to manufacture brake blocks for wagons in the early days). The national bird is the Blue Crane which came close to extinction due to destruction of habitat and shooting by farmers. Today they occur widely in large groups with their characteristic mating dance and song. The national tree is the Yellowood, once prolific throughout the country. Sadly cut down to make furniture due to the wood's soft easily handled texture.

These include: the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront complex in Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Point; Table Mountain; the wine region of the Western Cape; the Garden Route of the Western Cape; and the Kruger National Park

Nelson Mandela - needs no introduction, South Africa's first president under democratic rule since 1994. Imprisoned for 26 years on Robben Island, a truly remarkable man responsible for keeping a calm over a potentially volatile nation. He retired in 1999.

Thabo Mbeki - President of South Africa. Exiled during the apartheid years he led the ANC's international campaign, returning to take his place as first deputy alongside Nelson Mandela. A highly educated man with a vision to establish South Africa's presence on the world stage. He has done much to placate the white populations fears of the country turning into a typical third world African country. His favorite terms the 'African Century' or 'African Renaissance' underline his vision to establish South Africa as Africa's leading nation.

Currently standing at 40 Million people - the main groups being: 

African or 'Black' (about 30M) with the dominant tribes being - Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Sotho, Tsonga/Shangaan and Venda.
Coloured (about 4M)
Asian (just over 1M)
White (about 5.5M)

Often a contentious issue, the explanation of classifying people into different groups is necessary to form an understanding of South Africa's history and cultural make-up.

Coloured refers to those people who originate from mixed descent. In the early days in the Cape many slaves were imported from the East, especially Malaysia, by the Dutch East India Company. There were many mixed marriages with Dutch men taking slave and local Khoisan women as wives. In addition, sailors mixed freely with the local and slave populations after months at sea. Later many immigrants settling in Cape Town further contributed to a rich combination and mixture of cultures.

Black refers to the black African peoples, the original inhabitants of southern Africa (mostly descended from the Nguni tribe). The correct term to use is 'African'.

White refers to people of European descent and can be divided into two predominant groups: English refers mainly to those people whose African roots stem from the British colonial days and speak English, still maintaining some form of contact with mother England. Known as 'soutpiel' (salt dick) by the Afrikaaners, a term which refers to the man having one foot in South Africa and the other across the ocean in England. Afrikaaners, original descendants of the first Dutch, German and French settlers under the Cape's period of Dutch occupancy. Known for their fierce independence and strong religious sentiments, they settled throughout the country by moving away from Dutch and British taxes and laws. The birth of Afrikaans as a separate language from Dutch sparked a nationalistic affliction, culminating in the apartheid system of governance.

Today South Africa is Africa's most advanced and developed economy with a GDP of around $ 94 Billion and a per capita income of roughly $ 3000 per head.

Major industries are manufacturing, financial services, mining and insurance. Mining is by far the major producer of foreign revenues and South Africa's fortunes tend to fluctuate with the gold price.

South Africa has a well developed Stock Exchange gaining ground and favor daily amongst investors as a developing or emerging market. Of particular interest are gold/diamond/mining stocks as well as recent software listings.

Anglo American Corporation, South African Breweries, Old Mutual International, De Beers (diamonds) etc.

Currently Foreign Debt hovers at around $ 23 Million, a modest sum compared to the debt owed by other African nations.

Lots of sunshine and blue skies are the norm as South Africa falls within a subtropical high pressure belt creating dry conditions through most of the country.

There are no definite seasons as in the northern hemisphere and generally people refer to summer and winter as the major variations with the occurrence of rain distinguishing the two periods.

It rains throughout the country from October to March, some regions receiving more rain due topography and ocean currents. Generally characterised by large afternoon storms which build up during the heat of the day and break in a flurry of lightening and thunder, known throughout the country as 'highveld' storms.

Winter then runs from May through to August and are considered the best months to visit the country as the extreme heat and humidity generated in some parts has abated and days are sunny but cool. Along the escarpment areas snow falls and frost can bring the temperatures plummeting to sub-zero (Celsius) at night.

The Western Cape is a winter rainfall area with rain from June to August and surrounding provinces (Eastern Cape and often Free State) often bear the overflow of the continual cold fronts moving through. However the most glorious days are to be experienced after the front has moved through, leaving behind clear sunny days and calm seas.

Average mean temperatures:

• Summer: 15C/60F - 35C/96F
• Winter: 0C/32F - 20C/68F

For up to date weather forecasts visit the South African Weather Bureau website.

South Africa, the southernmost part of the African continent lies surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian oceans along it's West, South and East coasts. Spanning over 2000 kilometers (1200 miles) from it's Northern borders to the Southernmost tip at Cape Aghulas and some 1500 kilometers (950 miles) from the West coast to the Eastern shores. The total area covers about 1,2 million square Kilometers (775,000 square miles) and is divided into three predominant terrains:

South Africa is divided into 9 provincial districts, the majority of which cover the inland plateau or highveld. The Western and Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal form the bulk of the coastal belt. The Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Northwest and Northern provinces encompass most of the plateau while Mpumalanga and also the Northern provinces straddle the escarpment region before falling off sharply into the 'lowveld' near the Kruger Park.

The circumnavigation of the Cape in the late 1400's resulted in a progressive European presence in South Africa over the next 300 years eventually culminating in an end to Apartheid and the dawn of democratic rule in 1994.

Established as a replenishing station for Dutch spice ships in 1654, Cape Town was the spearhead and gateway to southern and central African exploration for the next 3 centuries. Explorers, missionaries, prospectors and ivory hunters surged northwards into a fertile and teeming land, returning with tales of adventure and mystery creating a desire a rush to go on Safari..

As land became scarce and taxes high, disgruntled frontier 'boers' (Dutch farmers) packed up their wagons, spanned in their oxen and trekked northwards establishing farms and settlements into the harsh interior. They met with little and unworried resistance from indigenous bantu tribes until eventually clashing with the impis of legendary Shaka, king of the Zulu. A bloody war ensued, the boers armed with muskets and rifles, the Zulus with their broadbladed stabbing spears and ferocious penchant for disemboweling their foe. The Zulu war lasted for a number of years drawing in the British. In fact, the Zulu impis are the only military force armed only with spears and sticks, to have inflicted a defeat upon the superior firepower of the British army.

The discovery of diamonds in Kimberley led to the outbreak of the first anglo-boer war, a defeat for the ill prepared and unaware British, and a bolster to the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. This was short lived however, as the British mounted another attack after the discovery of gold on the highveld, the centre of the boers republic.

This time, the face of war turned ugly and the boer militia saw their wives and children rounded up and placed in concentration camps (a British Invention) where over 26,000 died. Land, crops and houses were burned, women raped and children left to starve. A bitter peace was signed ceding control of the whole country to Britain.

" I contend that we are the finest race in the world, and that the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race. Just fancy, those parts that are at present inhabited by the most despicable specimens of human beings, what an alteration there would be if they were brought under anglo-Saxon influence" Cecil John Rhodes, 1800's

The Union of South Africa, an enlightened British compromise was established in 1910 aimed at uniting the white population of South Africa in the face of increased black awareness and political consciousness. During this period the roots of apartheid were laid, culminating in the election to office of the Afrikaaner dominated National Party. The ideology of apartheid was firmly entrenched and fine tuned into mainstream society over the next 30 years, costing many lives and millions of rands. International and internal pressures eventually forced the more liberal politicians within the government to realise the hopelessness of the situation and cede domination of the political arena in 1994.

South Africa has travelled a long and often bumpy road to hold the title of Africa's most developed and promising nation. Blessed with compassionate leaders like Nelson Mandela the country is truly a rainbow nation, a mixed bag of cultures and people striving to come to terms with their turbulent history and bright future.

The country, under the vision of the newly elected president Thabo Mbeki, stands at the forefront of leading Africa into the "African Century".