South Africa(Informacion En Ingles)

SOUTH AFRICA
Official name: Republic of South Africa
History
The South Africans were colonized by several European people, including Portuguese, Dutch and mainly British. The British colony became the most powerful and therefore lasted longer. British rules were soon enforced which included better treatment of the Coloured and blacks, granting free nonwhites legal rights equal to those ofthe whites, abolishment of slavery which angered slave Diamonds were discovered in 1867 along the Vaal and Orange rivers and in 1870 at what became (1871) Kimberley; in 1886 gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand. These discoveries (especially that of gold) spurred great economic development in S Africa during 1870–1900; foreign trade increased dramatically, rail trackage expanded in 1895, andthe number of whites rose from about 300,000 in 1870 to about 1 million in 1900. The British continued to increase their domain and dislike grew among some groups.
In 1961 it became a republic.

Geography
South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa, its long coastline stretching more than 2 500km from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic coast, southwards around the tip ofAfrica, then north to the border with subtropical Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. Its borders are with Namibia to the North West; Mozambique to the North East; Botswana and Zimbabwe to the North. Swaziland and Lesotho are also considered border countries although they both landlocked within the Republic of South Africa.
South Africa is a medium-sized country, with a total land area of slightly morethan 1.2-million square kilometers, making it roughly the same size as Niger, Angola, Mali, and Colombia.
It is one-eighth the size of the US, twice the size of France, and over three times the size of Germany. South Africa measures about 1 600km from north to south, and roughly the same from east to west.
South Africa has nine provinces, which vary considerably in size. The smallest is tiny andcrowded Gauteng, a highly urbanized region, and the largest the vast, arid and empty Northern Cape, which takes up almost a third of South Africa's total land area.
Area: 1 219 090 square kilometers
Agriculture: 81.6% of total land area
Arable land: 12.1% of total
Irrigated land: 10.15% of arable land
Population
South Africa is a nation of diversity, with 51.77-million people and a variety ofcultures, languages and religious beliefs.
According to Census 2011, the country's population stands at 51 770 560 people.
Africans are in the majority at 41 000 938, making up 79.2% of the total population.
The coloured population is estimated at 4 615 401 (8.9%), the white population at 4 586 838 (8.9%), and the Indian/Asian population at 1 286 930 (2.5%). In the census carried out in 2011,280 454 (0.5%) South Africans classified themselves as "other".
Females make up just over half (51.3%) of the population, and males 48.7%.
Government
Form of state: A federal state, comprising a national government and nine provincial governments.
Legal system: Based on Roman-Dutch law and the 1996 Constitution.
The national government is composed of three inter-connected branches:Legislative: Parliament, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces
Executive: The President, who is both Head of State and Head of Government
Judicial: The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the High Court
All bodies of the South African government are subject to the rule of the Constitution, which is the supreme law in South Africa.
Unlike most othercountries around the world, South Africa has not one but three capital cities. More precisely, the government branches are divided among three major South African cities: Pretoria - Administrative, Cape Town - Legislative, and Bloemfontein - Judicial. But its official capital is Pretoria.
Climate
A subtropical location, moderated by ocean on three sides of the country and the altitude of the...