South-Africa
Geography
The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. South Africa's coast stretches 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) and borders both the Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north of South Africa lies Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, while the Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent enclave surrounded by South African territory
Climate
South Africa has a largely temperate climate, with local variations according to altitude and the influence of the warm Indian Ocean currents on the east coast, and the cold Benguela current on the Atlantic west coast. Days are generally sunny and temperatures high during summer, moderating in winter. The Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters, with occasional snowfalls on the mountain peaks. Gauteng, the province where Johannesburg is situated, has late afternoon thunderstorms which damp down hot summer days, while warm winter days cool down rapidly bringing overnight frost. The east coast, encompassing KwaZulu Natal and the Wild Coast, is sub-tropical, with high humidity.
People
South Africa is a nation of over 47-million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and
beliefs. According to the mid-2007 estimates from Statistics South Africa, the country's population
stands at some 47.9-million, up from the census 2001 count of 44.8-million.
Africans are in the majority at just over 38-million, making up 79.6% of the total population. The
white population is estimated at 4.3-million (9.1%), the coloured population at 4.2-million (8.9%)
and the Indian/Asian population at just short of 1.2-million (2.5%).
Language
South Africa has eleven official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.
Business Hours
Most businesses operate from 08:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday
Currency
The rand is the currency of South Africa.
