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I have travelled to almost five dozen countries and lived comfortably in places as diverse as Pretoria,
London, Ondangwa and Prague (my current home base). Despite my "wunderlust" and
personal state of mind, the one bureaucratic document I own proclaims that I am the holder of
a Passport of the Republic of South Africa. I guess that this is based on the old-fashioned
practice of separating people of different national origins by creating country borders! If
you're not sure where exactly South Africa is then follow the two hints below:
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first:
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It is a former British Colony & the Home of Nelson Mandela.
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second:
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Do as the name of the country says - get a map of Africa and run your eyes down to the
southern tip of the continent. South Africa lies at the foot of Africa with the Atlantic
Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Its climate ranges from semi-arid to
sub-tropical and the terrain is characterised by a vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged
hills and a narrow coastal plain. The highest point in the county is 3,408 m above sea
level. South Africa covers an area of 1,219,912 km 2 (slightly less than twice
the size of Texas) and has a population of 43,421,021. The capital city is Pretoria (where
my family lives) although the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town are probably better known.
The country is rich in natural resources having vast reserves of gold, chromium, antimony,
coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper,
vanadium, salt and natural gas.
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Interested in more facts about South Africa? Of course you can always consult the
CIA's
World Factbook, but believe me,
LonelyPlanet.com provides just about the same information but in a more condensed and
informal way. I have relied on Lonely Planet travel guides for years, and this site provides
a traveller's view of the country.
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If you are interested in understanding a little of South Africa from the inside, take a look
iafrica.com. Launched in 1997, the site was
one of South Africa's first content portal sites. The portal consists of 21 "communities"
or "online magazines" devoted to such topics as news, business, finance, sport,
entertainment, health & fitness, travel, motoring and wine. The website consists of over
4,800 pages, constantly updated to bring users the latest South African information.
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Pretoria Online
is a great online resource - a guide for those living and working in my home town.
The site covers, inter alia, news, weather, arts & entertainment, tourist information,
community, shopping and government. There are also some interesting online
arial views
of the city and its suburbs.
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