Facts

Land & people

• Area: 1,219,912 sq km
• Population (July 2006 est.): 44,187,637
• Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
• Official languages: English, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.
• Per capita GDP (2006 est.): $13,000

South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa. The country's long coastline extends more than 2,500 kilometres from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then north to the border with subtropical Mozambique on the Indian Ocean.

The low-lying coastal zone is narrow for much of that distance, soon giving way to a mountainous escarpment that separates it from the high inland plateau. In some places, notably the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the east, a greater distance separates the coast from the escarpment.

There are nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape in the west and south; Free State in the central region; Limpopo and North West in the north and northwest; KwaZulu-Natal in the eastern region; Gauteng and Mpumalanga in the northeast.

South Africa offers a magnitude of areas to be explored and enjoyed ... from the subtropical beaches bordering the Indian Ocean along the East Coast of South Africa and the cosmopolitan city of Durban to the Atlantic Coast on the West and the bustling centre of Cape Town to the centre and the economical hub of the country, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Useful addresses

• South African Embassy, P.O. Box 29446, Abu Dhabi. Tel: 02-4473446; Fax: 02-4473031
• South African Consulate, P.O. Box 34800, Dubai. Tel: 04-3975222; Fax: 04-3979602
• South African Business Council, P.O. Box 115225, Dubai. Tel: 04- 3900433; Fax:04- 3664650
• South African Tourism, Head Office, Bojanala House, 90 Protea Road, Chislehurston, Sandton. Tel: 0027 11 8953000; Fax: 0027 11 8953001;
  email: info@southafrica.net
  Website: www.southafrica. net/satourism/

Passport/visa

A valid acceptable passport or travel document is required to enter the country. Depending on your nationality, and the purpose and duration of your visit, you may not need a visa to visit South Africa.

Credit cards/cash

Credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club are acceptable just about everywhere, though they are not accepted at petrol stations.

When to go

South Africa has one of the most temperate climates on the African continent and plenty of sunny, dry days. Summer is from mid-October to mid-February, autumn February to April, winter May to July, and spring from August to October.

Getting there

Direct flights from Europe, North and South America, Australia, the Far East and the Middle East provide easy access to South Africa.

Getting around

Several airlines fly between the country's major cities as well as to some of the smaller ones. With some excellent highways but limited and expensive public transport, South Africa is geared towards travel by private car.