South Africa Travel Directory & Information
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THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
South Africa comprises of a territory that ranges
from the fertile rolling plains of the highveld and the Eastern
Transvaal with wide open savanna, to the desert and the peaks
of the Drakensberg Mountains. The country is found in the southern
part of the African continent and is bordered by Zimbabwe and
Botswana in the north, Swaziland and Mozambique in the northeast
and Namibia in the northwest. East the country lies the coastline
of the Indian Ocean, in the South is the confluence of the Indian
and Atlantic Oceans, and Atlantic Ocean on the western side. South Africa Travel Guide
The country is geographically composed of three
primary regions including the escarpment of mountain ranges,the
central plateau and a narrow strip of low-lying land along the
coast. The country possesses two of the world's most renowned
wildlife reserves, the Kruger and the Kalahari Gemsbok National
Parks and there are over a dozen smaller regional parks and reserves.
South Africa Flights
South Africa Travel Guide
PRACTICAL DETAILS:
Currency: South African Rand (R) divided into
100 Cents.
Time: GMT +2
Major Airport: Johannesburg International Airport (There are 728
Airports in South Africa)
Ports and Harbours: These are in Cape Town, Durban, East London,
Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay.
Electricity: 220/230V ,50Hz
Main Health risk: Malaria
International telephone country code: 027
GEOGRAPHY:
Capital: Pretoria
Rainfall: Mean annual rainfall is 18.6 inches in the summer months
from September to March .
Temperarture: Mean annual temperature is just below 15.6°C
(60°F), with plenty of sunshine throughout the year.
Land Area:1,219,912 SQ KM (471,447 Sq Mi)
Location: Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent
of Africa (22° - 34° south, 16° - 32° east)
Altitude: From 900 m/3,000 ft and 1,800 m/6,000 ft.above sea level;
highest point is the Drakensberg Mountains, the tallest of which
is Mont-aux-Sources at 3,300m (10,823 ft).
Vegetation:Ranges from arid shrubland and semi desert, through
savanna and woodland to coastal forest and alpine forest. There
are 68 vegetation types classified into 7 biomes.
Natural Resourses: Gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese,
nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds
Land use:Arable land: 12.08% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.13%
Major National Parks: Kruger and Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks
Main Exports: Coal, Diamonds, Food, Gold Coins, Gold, Iron and
Steel, Metal Ores
HUMAN STATISTICS:
Language:11 official languages:Afrikaans, English,
isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati,
Tshivenda and Xitsonga
Population:Approximately 44,344,136 million;
Density: 36 per sq. km
Life expectancy: Men 47.64, Women 48.56 years
Religion: Christians-68%, Bantu Churches-22%. Hindus-1%, Muslims-1%
and Jews-1%.
Income per capita: $ 11,100
Education: Primary, high school,colleges, technical/vocational,
higher/university
ADMINISTRATION/POLITICS:
President: Thabo Mbeki
Deputy President: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
National Flag: Red for bloodshed, Blue of open blue skies, Green
for the land, Black for the black people, White for the European
people Yellow for the natural resources.
Government: Multiparty Republic
Administrative divisions:nine provinces and 367 magisterial districts.
WHEN TO VISIT:
SouthAfrica can be visited at any time of the
year.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY:
South africa has 728 Airports and 146 are paved.Johanneburg
International Airport is the major airport in South Africa and
is the hub for 45 airlines from all five continents.
Direct flights between the USA and Johannesburg
or Cape Town are about 15 hours, and flights between London and
Johannesburg take about 12 hours. Flights from Europe are generally
overnight
SOUTH AFRICAN VISA AND PASSPORT GUIDELINES
All visitors to South Africa must be in possession
of a valid passport for at least six months after the date of
travel, in order to enter the country, and in some cases, a visa.
Visitors from British Commonwealth countries
and holders of Irish, Japanese, Swiss Scandinavia, Japan, the
USA and German passports can aquire Entry permits on arrival at
the Airport. Travellers from these regions do not need to formally
apply for a visa.
Passengers travelling to South Africa with passports
which do not comply with requirements, will be stopped from boarding
the aircraft or risk deportation upon arrival in South Africa.
For the majority of foreign nationals who travel to South Africa
for vacation, entry is straightforward and hassle-free.
However, it is advisable to check with your nearest
South African Embassy/Consular before you travel.
AIR TICKETS:
South Africa has several Tour and travel companies/Tourist
offices which offer Airline tickets and also offer other services.
GETTING AROUND
Flights to South Africa include several International
and Domestic airlines like KLM, British Airways, South African
Express Airways, Nation wide Airlines. Flights travel from all
over the world to South Africa and there are several flights from
Johannesburg to oTher African countries, as well as around SouthAfrica.
The Bus service is also efficient with The Baz
Bus, a convenient hop-on hop-off door-to-door backpacker bus,
Greyhound Coach Lines TransLux buses Elwierda (Stellenbosch) (Pty)
Ltd which operates several Buses and the Intercape Mainliner
The railway system is South Africa is well established
and mostly privately run. All the major towns are connected. SpoorNet
(National Train Service) is famous for its sheer luxury, Southern
Africa by Rail and the Rovos Rail offers luxury rail safaris.
SOUTH AFRICA HOTELS
South Africa has several accommodation facilties
ranging from 5 star hotels, lodges, tented camps, camping sites,
cottages, inns, and country houses.Major hotels include Devonshire
hotel, Westerncape hotel and spa, Michelangelo on Sandton Square,
The West Cliff, Sandton Sun & Towers Inter-Continental, The
Plettenberg Hotel, Lodges like Amakhosi lodge, Etali game lodge,
Elangeni lodge, Bushman river lodge and other accommodation facilities.
South Africa Hotels Directory
ATTRACTIONS
South Africa is a country with several attractions
and unique features.These include the The Drakensberg mountains
which offer adventure, Kruger national park which is the greatest
of South Africa's many national parks, Robben island where Nelson
Mandela and his comrades were imprisoned. Soweto the largest of
South Africa's 'townships' during Apartheid, Table mountain for
south africa's most breathtaking views. The Gold in the the anglo
boer war and the industry - which claims the deepest underground
mines in the world, The Garden route which includes a 600-kilometre
stretch of small towns, farms, sea villages and wineries. Cradle
of humankind which was declared a world heritage site, where the
skull of mrs ples, a three-million year-old hominid was found.the
Beaches which include more than 3 000km of coastline and the Namaqualand
daisies with fields of daisies in natural colour. These offer
an adventurous experience.
MONEY
Travellers cheques, Credit and charge cards including
American Express, Standard Bank Card, Bank of America, Diners,
MasterCard, and Visa are widely accepted in facilities
Autobanks are found in most towns and operate
on a 24-hour basis and Some ATM's give cash advances.There is
howerver a surcharge for using credit cards and cashing travellers
checques. Banks are open Mon-Fri 0900-1530 and Sat 0900-1100.
OUR MOST LOVED WEBSITES
South Africa
Hotels
SA-Venues.com provides a comprehensive online Directory of South
African Accommodation at Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, Guest Houses
and Self Catering options throughout South Africa.
South Africa Golf Tours
South Africa Golf Tours and South African Golfing Safaris. Also
offers a comprehensive list of South African Hotels.
Camps Bay Accommodation
Cape Rose Cottage Luxury Self Catering Holiday Accommodation in
Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
Colesberg Guest House
Kuilfontein Stable Cottages luxury bed & breakfast guest farm
accommodation in Colesberg, Karoo, South Africa.
Eastern Cape Accommodation
Port Elizabeth and the Eastern, Cape South Africa - Hotels &
Accommodation Directory
Bantry Bay Accommodation
Bantry Bay Internation Vacation Resort Self Catering Holiday Apartments
in Cape Town, South Africa.
South Africa Car
Hire
Affordable Car Rental for your South African holiday, brought
to you by South Africa Car Hire. Great Cars available at great
prices!
Northern Cape Accommodation
Northern Cape, South Africa, Hotels & Accommodation Directory
- Deal Direct & SAVE!
Hluhluwe Game Lodge
Emdoneni Lodge and Game Farm Accommodation and Safaris in KwaZulu
Natal, South Africa.