South Africa is a large country that occupies the entire southern tip of the African Continent. It has a long coastline with the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is bordered to the north by Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia. Lesotho is a landlocked country within the boundaries of South Africa.

South Africa is a Republic and a parliamentary democracy. The current president is Jacob Zuma. There are three capitals of South Africa- the legislative capital of Cape Town, the executive capital of Pretoria and the judicial capital of Bloemfontein. Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa.

South Africa has a booming economy which makes it ideal for business travellers. The country is a major exporter of both diamonds and gold and the world famous diamond company De Beers originated in South Africa.

In terms of tourism South Africa is also thriving and another of the country's major exports - wine - is also a draw for visitors who can take tours of the famous Capelands vineyards. With miles of coastline and beaches South Africa has amazing water sports, particularly surfing. But of course the main reason why tourists go to South Africa is for safaris and the country has all of the Big Five Game animals - lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo and rhinos. In fact South Africa can even claim to have a Big Seven with whales and great white sharks included. With over 20,000 species of plants as well, South Africa is rated as one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world.

South Africa is also a popular winter destination for tourists. As it is in the southern hemisphere South Africa has its summer when people in Europe and North America are experiencing winter.

South Africa has a hugely varied population with many different tribes and that is why there are 11 languages spoken there. One of those languages is Swahili which is spoken by the Zulu tribe. Meanwhile Afrikaans is the adopted language of the early colonial settlers who were mostly Dutch.  Today approximately 79% of the population is black, 9% is white and 9% is coloured. South Africa has a massive unemployment crisis with around 25% of the population being out of work and many living below the poverty index. This in turn has led the country to have a substantial crime problem. However the majority of visitors to South Africa are safe as long as they stay out of the townships at night.