South Africa

From Daily Escape

Republic of South Africa
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto "Ex Unitate Vires" (Latin) "From Unity, Strength"
Anthem The Call of South Africa
Capital Largest city	Cape Town (legislative) 33°55′S 18°27′E Pretoria (administrative) 25°43′S, 28°17′E Bloemfontein (judicial) 29°06′S, 26°13′E Johannesburg
Official languages	English
Demonym	South African
Government  - State President  - Prime Minister	Parliamentary republic Mangosuthu Lutuli Festus Mogae
Establishment  - Union  - Statute of Westminster  - Republic	May 31, 1910 December 11, 1931 May 31, 1961
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	3,066,661 km² 1,184,037 sq mi 0.6
Population  - 2005 estimate  - Density	62,830,884 20.48 /km² 53.06 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2005 estimate $1.265 trillion $20,133
Gini	45.9 (high)
HDI	0.905 (high)
Currency	South African rand (ZAR)
Time zone - Summer (DST)	WAT, SAST (UTC +1 to +2) not observed (UTC +1 to +2)
Internet TLD	.za
Calling code	+27

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders the Democratic Republic of Angola to the north and the Federation of Northern Rhodesia to the north and east. South Africa is a highly developed, stable parliamentary democracy with a republican form of government. South Africa has experienced a significantly different evolution from other nations in Africa arising primarily from two facts: immigration from Europe reached levels not experienced in other African communities; and a level of mineralogical wealth that made the country extremely important to Western interests, particularly during the Cold War. As a result of the former, South Africa is a very racially diverse nation. It has the largest population of people of colored (i.e., mixed racial background), white, and Indian communities in Africa.

The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century. The economy of South Africa is the largest and best developed on the continent, with modern infrastructure common throughout the country.

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Culture

It may be argued that there is no "single" culture in South Africa because of its ethnic diversity. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. In addition to food, music and dance feature prominently.

South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a braai, or barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer, with some of the best vineyards lying in valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl, and Barrydale.

There is great diversity in music from South Africa. Of note is Brenda Fassie, who launched to fame with her song "Weekend Special", which was sung in English. More famous traditional musicians include Ladysmith Black Mambazo, while the Soweto String Quartet performs classic music with an African flavour. White and Colored South African singers are historically influenced by European musical styles including such western metal bands such as Seether. South Africa has produced world-famous jazz musicians, notably Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Jonathan Butler, Chris McGregor, and Sathima Bea Benjamin. Afrikaans music covers multiple genres, such as the contemporary Steve Hofmeyr and the punk rock band Fokofpolisiekar. Crossover artists such as Johnny Clegg and his bands Juluka and Savuka have enjoyed various success underground, publicly, and abroad.

South Africa has also had a large influence in the Scouting movement, with many Scouting traditions and ceremonies coming from the experiences of Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting) during his time in South Africa as a military officer in the 1890s. The South African Scout Association was one of the first youth organizations to open its doors to youth and adults of all races in South Africa.

Public holidays

Date	Official Name
January 1	New Year's Day
Friday before Easter Sunday	Good Friday
Monday following Easter Sunday	Easter Monday
April 6	Founder's Day
1st Friday in May	Workers' Day
40th day after Easter	Ascension Day
May 31	Republic Day
July 10	Family Day
1st Monday in September	Settlers' Day
September 24	Heritage Day
December 25	Christmas Day
December 26	Day of Goodwill