Welcome2Africa

WELCOME 2 AFRICA-SOUTH AFRICA!

Official Name: The Republic of South Africa.
Area: 1.221.037 km2
Capitals: Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.
Population: 43,1 million, 77% blacks, 10% whites, 8% coloured, 2,5% Indian/asian.
Language: The country has a total of 11 official languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Sotho, Swati, Venda, Ndebele, Tsonga og Pedi.
Religion: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and lots of traditional religions.
Government: Republic.
President: Thabo Mbeki.

Holidays:
January 1st: New Year’s Day
March 21st: Human Rights Day
April 18th : Good Friday
April 20th: Easter
April 21st: Family Day
April 27th: Freedom Day
May 1st: Workers Day
June 16th: Youth Day
August 9th: National Women’s Day
September 24th: Heritage Day
December 16th: Day of Reconciliation
December 25th: Christmas Day
December 26th: Day of Goodwill

Climate:
In South Africa Summers are from November till March and Winters from June till August. Summer can be extremely hot, especially in the lowveld. Higher-altitude areas are pleasantly warm over summer, but the mountains are rain- and mist-prone. The north-eastern regions can be annoyingly humid, but swimming on the east coast is a year-round proposition. Spring is the best time for wildflowers in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Winters are mild everywhere except in the highest country, where there are frosts and occasional snowfalls.

Currency:
In South Africa the local currency is called Rand. The exchange rate was as of the 1st of November 2002: R100 = USD 10,1 and R100 = EUR 10,13. It is advisable to always carry around a small amount in cash. All major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard and Diners are widely accepted.

Tips:
Tipping is pretty well mandatory in South Africa becuase of the low wages. Normally 10 - 15% in restaurants, while rangers and trackers at the game reserves and farms should be given R10 – 20 per day, the same applies for drivers on tours.

Time difference:
GMT/UTC +2 hours. In South Africa you do not go from wintertime to summertime.

Local specialities:
In South Africa the food is very good and plentyful! In the area of Temba Lodge there are plenty of opportunities to try out the local delicacies such as game meat, kudu, impala, warthog etc., ”pap” a local pourage made from corn or maizemeal, ”biltong” dried meat made from anything from ostrich to different types of antilope. The local tropical fruit such as mango and paw paw is definitly also worth a try.

Shopping:
Shops are generally open from 8:30 to 17:00 on weekdays, 8:30 - 12:00 on Saturdays and many of the supermarkets are also open on Sundays. In many of the towns you will find small flea-markets where you buy local curios at very reasonable prices, bargaining is of course a must in most cases.