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Brief History. The British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, after what many of the Dutch settlers trekked north to found their own republics. Diamonds were discovered in 1867 and gold in 1886, resulted in heavy immigration. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.

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Country Information

Local name: South Africa

Capital: Pretoria

Population: 44,187,637

Government: republic

Currency: rand (ZAR)

Land size: 1,219,912 sq km

Topography: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Typical foods:

Major exports: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

Information on the People

Official language: IsiZulu 23.8%

Other languages spoken: IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%

Religions: Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1%

Literacy rate: 86.4%

Male/Female Ratio: 0.95 male(s) to every 1 female

Life expectancy: 42.73 years

Ethnic groups: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5%

Internet users: 3.6 million

Famous people: Charlize Theron, Tolkien, J.R.R.

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News From This Region
South Africa News: Pot bellies are symbols of prosperity
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South Africa News: Mandela miniseries in production
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