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Welcome to South Africa. From Cape
Town which is the southern tip of Africa where two great
oceans meet, warm weather lasts most of the year and where the
great adventure starts just beyond the city lights.
Today, this country is the powerhouse of Africa, the most advanced,
broad-based economy on the continent, with infrastructure to
match any first-world nation.
You can drive on wide, tarred highways all 1 600
kilometres from Messina at the very top of the country to Cape
Town at the bottom, or join eight million passengers who disembark
at our airports every year.
Two-thirds of Africa's electricity is generated here. Forty
percent of the phones are here. Twenty percent of the world's
gold is mined here. And almost everyone who visits is astonished
at how far a dollar will stretch. Welcome to the Republic of
South Africa.
There are 11 officially recognised languages,
most of them indigenous to South Africa. Forty percent of the
population speak either Zulu or Xhosa. You don't speak either?
Not to worry. Everywhere you go, you can expect to find people
who speak or understand English. Road signs and official forms
are in English. The President makes his speeches in English.
At any hotel, the receptionists, waiters and porters will speak
English. English is the language of the cities, of commerce
and banking, government, road signs and official documents.
Another major language is Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch.
Northern Europeans will find it surprisingly easy to follow
Afrikaans.
South Africa Accommodation -
South Africa Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed & Breakfasts, Self
Catering, Farm Stays and Resorts. Find Accommodation in South
Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.
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