Guide to South Africa

Name: Republic of South Africa

Location: Southern tip of Africa

Population: 45.3 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Pretoria

Major Cities: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg.

Area: 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles)

Airport: Johannesburg International Airport

Major languages: 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu

Major religion: Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs

Life expectancy: 47 years (men), 51 years (women)

Currency: 1 Rand = 100 cents

Internet domain: .za

Country dialling code: +27

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 throughout the year

Flight Time: From UK 12 hours, From USA 15 hours

Electricity: 220/230 volts AC 50hhz. Exceptions: Pretoria (230 V) and Port Elizabeth (200/250 V)
Most plugs have three round pins but some plugs with two smaller pins are also found on appliances. Adaptors can be purchased but may be in short supply. US-made appliances may need a transformer.

Weights and Measures: Metric

Climate: Varies from temperate to subtropical. In Gauteng (Johannesburg area) summers are hot with showers; winter evenings can be cold. Kwazulu/Natal (Durban area) has hot humid summers and moderate winters. Cape Town in the Western Cape Province has a Mediterranean climate with most rainfall during winter. The rest of the country, including the rest of the Cape Provinces, has most rainfall during the summer, with the East and South coastal regions tending to be wetter. The West coast and Karoo are semidesert.

Best time to go: For hiking and outdoor pursuits including wildlife-watching winter is best (November to September).

Health: Malaria is only found in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo and on the Maputaland coast of KwaZulu-Natgal. Therefore precautionary medicines should be taken. In any case, please seek advice from a doctor.

Entry/Visa: A valid passport is required Travellers from Scandinavia, Japan, USA and most Western European and Commonwealth countries do not need to formally apply for a visa. When then arrive in South Africa, citizens from these countries will be given a freen entry permit sticker that outlines how long they may remain in South Africa - usually 90 days. Stays longer than that require a formal application for a visa.

11 October 2007