South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean and on the Indian Ocean. It is a large country with approximately fifty million inhabitants. The majority of the population consists of people of African descent. There is the largest group of non-African residents in South Africa. mainly Europeans and Indians, together they make up around twenty percent of the population.
South Africa has been inhabited for thousands of years by different tribes. It was the Dutch who in the second half of the seventeenth century suffered shipwreck and built a fortress here. Thus the Cape of Good Hope came under the control of the VOC. Later Robben Island also came under the control of the VOC. At the end of the eighteenth century, this part of South Africa became a British colony. The many Dutch farmers who had come to live here in the meantime remained and that is why they still speak some sort of Dutch, the Afrikaans.
After the British abolished slavery here and the Dutch and German residents were not compensated enough for this, the Boer Wars started. This eventually led to the Union of Africa.
Apartheid was the next stumbling block in the country. After a long struggle and under intense pressure from the rest of the world, the racial separation in South Africa was abolished in 1990 by Frederik Willem de Klerk. The most famous champions of this fight were Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
Tips:
Game parks:
South Africa is one of the major attractions, but most tourists are known for its game parks. The Kruger Park is without a doubt the best known of these. There are several lodges in this game park where you can spend the night at the park. Other famous game parks in South Africa are Hluhluwe / Umfolozi, Pilanesberg, Addo and Kalahari. In addition, there are still a few private parks in the country. In these game parks you will come across the big five if you are lucky.
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg that run through the northeastern part of the country are a special attraction. Within this mountain range lies the Royal Natal National Park where you can spend the night. One of the most special places in the mountains is the naturally formed amphitheater.
Cape town
Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and, according to some sources, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Just outside the city is Table Mountain and seven kilometers off the coast is the famous Robben Island. A popular excursion from Cape Town is a trip to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost parts of mainland Africa.
Every year the largest one-day cycling race in the world is held in Cape Town. Every year 35,000 cyclists come to the city to cover 110 kilometers through the hills of the city.
Other tips:
South Africa has too many highlights to list them all here, but you should definitely not miss the next list. The vineyards at Stellenbosch, the national Tsitsikamma Seacoast Park, the Blyderivierspoort canyon, the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the Augrabies Waterfalls, the cities of Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein and Soweto. There are several beautiful beaches in South Africa.
