Worldwide
Experience are the specialists in conservation placements in South Africa, working
closely with several leading Game Reserves and National Parks. Explore South Africa
and leave with a lifetime of memories, and many new friends. With Worldwide
Experience you don't just visit this amazing country you actually become part
of it, by helping in the development of its future.
South Africa
is the heartbeat of the African continent and home to the world's most spectacular
wildlife, including the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo
- which makes South Africa a truly wild experience! From vast open plains and
rocky escarpments teeming with wild animals that roam free, to sweeping beaches
and colourful cities, South Africa is a must-see country with so much to offer
even to the most experienced traveller.
About
South Africa Discover why South Africa is the adventure capital of the
world, why its natural beauty and wildlife will leave you awe-struck, why
its friendly people, rich culture and freedom struggle will warm your heart!
South
Africa is well endowed with a wide variety of experiences to explore. From watching
the big five in one of the world's biggest national parks to enjoying a relaxing
time at our blue flag beaches to surfing at some of the world's best super tubes.
You can watch whales doing acrobatics at the world's whale watching capital or
come up close and personal with the great whites or simply take part in any of
the endless adrenalin pumping adventure sports that we offer in the air, sea or
on land.
The Land One finds the world's strangest and most dramatic
landscapes, a unique wealth of animal and plant life, a treasure of gold, diamonds
and other minerals, and a kaleidoscope of fascinating culture in South Africa. Nature's
tools of creation, the wind, sun, ice and rain, have worked a special magic. There
are extremes of deserts, savannas, snow-covered mountains, grasslands, high forests
and tropical mangrove swamps. Within these climatic zones, Earth's most diverse
plant populations flourish. South Africa is also the home of big game and hosts
birds found in a vast range of habitats and containing a multitude of foods that
nature has prepared for them.
It is the variety of South Africa's fascinating
and diverse population that is its greatest asset. South Africa is often called
the cradle of civilisation, for this is where archaeologists discovered 2,5 million-year-old
fossils of our earliest ancestors, as well as 100 000-year-old remains of modern
man.
Although South Africans come from many cultural traditions, they
belong to one nation; a dynamic blend of age-old customs and modern ways, building
a new South African society to create a better life for all. Its surface area
is 1 219 090 km2. It has common boundaries with the Republics of Namibia, Botswana
and Zimbabwe, while the Republic of Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland lie
to the north-east. Completely enclosed by South African territory in the south-east
is the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
| QUICK
FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA | | POPULATION: | 44
million | | CURRENCY:
| South African Rand | | AVERAGE
COST OF BEER: | 70p | | POPULAR
PLACES TO VISIT: | Cape Town,
Garden Route, Kruger National Park | | LANGUAGES
SPOKEN: | English, Afrikaans,
isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesuthu, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda,
Xitsonga |
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The History The
history of South Africa is marked by migration, ethnic conflict, and the anti-apartheid
struggle. The Khoisan peoples are the aboriginal people of the region who have
lived there for millennia. Black South Africans are believed to originate from
the Great Lakes region of Africa in prehistoric times. White South Africans, descendants
of later European migrations, regard themselves equally as products of South Africa,
as do South Africa's coloureds, Indians, Asians, and Jews.
Climate The
subtropical location, on either side of 30" S, accounts for the warm temperate
conditions so typical of South Africa, making it a popular travel destination
for foreign tourists. The country also falls squarely within the subtropical belt
of high pressure, making it dry, with an abundance of sunshine. The wide expanses
of ocean on three sides of South Africa have a moderating influence on its climate.
More apparent, however, are the effects of the warm Agulhas and cold Benguela
currents along the east and west coasts respectively. While Durban (east coast)
and Port Nolloth (west coast) lie more or less on the same latitude, there is
a difference of at least 6"C in their mean annual temperatures.
Gale-force
winds are frequent on the coasts, especially in the south-western and southern
coastal areas.
Average Temperatures
| Bloemfontein | | Cape
Town | | Durban | | East
London | | George | | Johannesburg | | Kimberley | | Mthatha | | Musina | | Nelspruit | | Pietermaritzburg | | Polokwane | | Port
Eslizabeth | | Pretoria | | Richards
Bay | | Skukuza | | Thohoyandou | | Upington |
| | Summer | Winter | | Min | Max | Min | Max | | 31'C | 15'C | 17'C | -2'C | | 26'C | 16'C | 18'C | 7'C | | 28'C | 21'C | 23'C | 11'C | | 26'C | 18'C | 21'C | 10'C | | 25'C | 15'C | 19'C | 7'C | | 26'C | 15'C | 17'C | 4'C | | 33'C | 18'C | 19'C | 3'C | | 27'C | 16'C | 21'C | 4'C | | 34'C | 21'C | 25'C | 7'C | | 29'C | 19'C | 23'C | 6'C | | 28'C | 18'C | 23'C | 3'C | | 28'C | 17'C | 20'C | 4'C | | 25'C | 18'C | 20'C | 9'C | | 29'C | 18'C | 20'C | 5'C | | 29'C | 21'C | 23'C | 12'C | | 33'C | 21'C | 26'C | 6'C | | 31'C | 20'C | 24'C | 10'C | | 36'C | 20'C | 21'C | 4'C |
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