South Africa

Un article de Vev.

Modèle:Featured article Modèle:Dablink Modèle:Infobox Country

The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It borders the Atlantic and Indian oceans and Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho, an independent enclave surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The South African economy is the largest in Africa and 24th largest in the world. Due to this it is the most socially, economically and infrastructurally developed country on the continent.

South Africa has experienced a different history from other nations in Africa because of early immigration from Europe and the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route. European immigration began shortly after the Dutch East India Company founded a station at what would become Cape Town, in 1652. The closure of the Suez Canal during the Six-Day War exemplified its significance to East-West trade. The country's relatively developed infrastructure made its mineral wealth available and important to Western interests, particularly throughout the late nineteenth century and, with international competition and rivalry, during the Cold War. South Africa is ethnically diverse, with the largest Caucasian, Indian, and racially mixed communities in Africa. Black South Africans, who speak nine officially recognised languages, and many more dialects, account for slightly less than 80% of the population.

Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in South Africa's history and politics, culminating in apartheid, which was instituted in 1948 by the National Party (although segregation existed before that time). The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990, after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including economic sanctions from the international community) by the Black majority as well as many White, Coloured, and Indian South Africans^{[citation needed]}.

Several philosophies and ideologies have developed in South Africa, including ubuntu (the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity) and Jan Smuts's holism.

Regular elections have been held for almost a century; but the majority of South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994.

South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity after segregationist apartheid ideology. The country's socially progressive policies are rare in Africa, for example, by 2007, the country had joined Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and Spain in legalizing same-sex marriage.

History

Main article: History of South Africa

South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in Africa. Extensive fossil remains at the Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Makapansgat caves suggest that various australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago. These were succeeded by various species of Homo, including Homo habilis, Homo erectus and modern man, Homo sapiens. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River by the fourth or fifth century (see Bantu expansion) displacing and absorbing the original KhoiSan speakers. They slowly moved south and the earliest ironworks in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier KhoiSan people, reaching the Fish River, in today's Eastern Cape Province. These Iron Age populations displaced earlier peoples, who often had hunter-gatherer societies, as they migrated.

The written history of South Africa begins with the arrival of the Portuguese. In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost tip of Africa. When he returned to Lisbon carrying news of the discovery, which he called Cabo das Tormentas (Cape of Storms) due to the stormy conditions he had encountered in the region, his royal sponsor, John II of Portugal, chose a different name, Cabo da Boa Esperança or Cape of Good Hope, for it promised a sea route to the riches of India then being sought by Portugal. Later, the great Portuguese poet Camões immortalized Dias' voyage in the epic poem The Lusiads, specifically via the mythological character, Adamastor, which symbolizes the forces of nature the Portuguese navigators had to overcome during the circumnavigation of the cape.

Along with the accounts of the early navigators, the accounts of shipwreck survivors provide the earliest written accounts of Southern Africa. In the two centuries following 1488, a number of small fishing settlements were made along the coast by Portuguese sailors, but no written account of these settlements survives. In 1652 a victualling station was established at the Cape of Good Hope by Jan van Riebeeck on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the slowly-expanding settlement was a Dutch possession. The Dutch settlers eventually met the south-westerly expanding Xhosa people in the region of the Fish River. A series of wars, called Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests.

To ease Cape labour shortages slaves were brought from Indonesia, Madagascar, and India. Furthermore, troublesome leaders, often of royal descent, were banished from Dutch colonies to South Africa. This group of slaves eventually gave rise to a population that now identifies themselves as "Cape Malays". Cape Malays have traditionally been accorded a higher social status by the European colonists - many became wealthy landowners, but became increasingly dispossessed as apartheid developed. Cape Malay mosques in District Six were spared, and now serve as monuments for the destruction that occurred around them.

Most of the descendants of these slaves, who often married with Dutch settlers, were later classified together with the remnants of the Khoikhoi (aka Khoisan) as Cape Coloureds. Further intermingling within the Cape Coloured population itself, as well as with Xhosa and other South African people, now means that they constitute roughly 50% of the population in the Western Cape Province.

Modèle:SouthAfrica state

Great Britain seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795 ostensibly to stop it falling into the hands of the French, but also seeking to use Cape Town in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India. It was returned to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River and consolidating it by encouraging British settlement. Due to pressure of abolitionist societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global slave trade in 1807, then abolished slavery in all its colonies in 1833.

The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1884 in the interior encouraged economic growth and immigration, intensifying the subjugation of the natives. The Boers successfully resisted British encroachments during the First Boer War (1880–1881) using guerrilla warfare tactics, much better suited to local conditions. However, the British returned in greater numbers without their red jackets in the Second Boer War (1899–1902). The Boers' attempt to ally themselves with German South-West Africa provided the British with yet another excuse to take control of the Boer Republics.

The Boers resisted fiercely, but the British eventually overwhelmed the Boer forces, using their superior numbers, improved tactics and external supply chains. Also during this war, the British used controversial concentration camps and scorched earth tactics, forcing whole families into crowded tents and burning their houses. Crops were burnt and all livestock slaughtered to demoralize the resisting Boers. The appalling conditions in British concentration camps were brought to light by Welfare Campaigner Emily Hobhouse in her report "Report of a Visit to the Camps of Women and Children in the Cape and Orange River Colonies". Maltreatment and undernourishment were common in camps. Food was often poisoned and glass pieces and hooks were found in many rations. The death toll reached 26,370 of which 24,000 were children.

The Treaty of Vereeniging specified full British sovereignty over the South African republics, and the British government agreed to assume the £3 000 000 war debt owed by the Afrikaner governments. One of the main conditions of the treaty ending the war was that "Blacks" would not be allowed to vote, except in the Cape Colony.

www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/thisday/1913-06-19.htm 19 June 1913 Native Land Act]", This day in history, publish date unknown (accessed 20 December, 2007).</ref> severely restricted the ownership of land by 'blacks', at that stage to a mere 7% of the country, although this amount was eventually increased marginally. In 1934, the South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking "Whites", but split in 1939 over the Union's entry into World War II as an ally of the United Kingdom, a move which the National Party strongly opposed.//www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/thisday/1913-06-19.htm 19 June 1913 Native Land Act]", This day in history, publish date unknown (accessed 20 December, 2007).</ref> severely restricted the ownership of land by 'blacks', at that stage to a mere 7% of the country, although this amount was eventually increased marginally. In 1934, the South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking "Whites", but split in 1939 over the Union's entry into World War II as an ally of the United Kingdom, a move which the National Party strongly opposed.

In 1948 the National Party was elected to power, and began implementing a series of harsh segregationist laws that would become known collectively as apartheid. Not surprisingly, this segregation also applied to the wealth acquired during rapid industrialisation of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. While the White minority enjoyed the highest standard of living in all of Africa, often comparable to "First World" western nations, the Black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. However, the average income and life expectancy of a black, Indian or "Coloured" South African compared favourably to many other African states, such as Ghana and Tanzania as education and health were provided, though selectively.

Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread sanctions and divestment abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. (See also the article on the History of South Africa in the apartheid era.) A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance, strikes, marches, protests, and sabotage by bombing and other means, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the African National Congress (ANC), followed. In the late 1970s, South Africa began a program of nuclear weapons, and in the following decade it produced six deliverable nuclear weapons. The rationale for the nuclear arsenal is disputed, but it is believed that Vorster and P.W. Botha wanted to be able to catalyse American intervention in the event of a war between South Africa and the Cuban-supported MPLA government of Angola.

In 1990 the National Party government took the first step towards negotiating itself out of power when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other left-wing political organisations, and released Nelson Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration on a sabotage sentence. Apartheid legislation was gradually removed from the statute books, and South Africa also destroyed its nuclear arsenal and acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The first multi-racial elections were held in 1994, which the ANC won by an overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since.

hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_ZAF.html|title=South Africa|date=2006|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|work=Human Development Report|accessdate=2007-11-28}}</ref> Much of this could be attributed to the AIDS pandemic and the government's failure to take steps to address it.<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

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.</ref> However, the ANC's social housing policy has produced some improvement in living conditions in many areas by redirecting fiscal spending and improving the efficiency of the tax collection system.//hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_ZAF.html|title=South Africa|date=2006|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|work=Human Development Report|accessdate=2007-11-28}}</ref> Much of this could be attributed to the AIDS pandemic and the government's failure to take steps to address it.<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

. South African Institute of Race Relations 
 
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.</ref> However, the ANC's social housing policy has produced some improvement in living conditions in many areas by redirecting fiscal spending and improving the efficiency of the tax collection system.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of South Africa

South Africa is the only nation in the world with three capital cities: Cape Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. South Africa has a bicameral parliament: the ninety members of the National Council of Provinces (the upper house); and the four hundred members of the National Assembly (the lower house). Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis by proportional representation: half of the members are elected from national lists and half are elected from provincial lists. Ten members are elected to represent each province in the National Council of Provinces, regardless of the population of the province. Elections for both chambers are held every five years. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly is the President.

Current South African politics are dominated by the African National Congress (ANC), which received 69.7% of the vote during the last 2004 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the 2006 municipal election. The current (2004-2009 term) President of South Africa is Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded former President Nelson Mandela. The main challenger to the ANC's rule is the Democratic Alliance party, which received 12.4% of the vote in the 2004 election and 14.8% in the 2006 election. The leader of this party is Helen Zille (elected 6 May 2007). The previous leader of the party was Tony Leon. The formerly dominant New National Party, which introduced apartheid through its predecessor, the National Party, suffered increasing humiliation at election polls since 1994, and finally voted to disband. It chose to merge with the ANC on 9 April 2005. Other major political parties represented in Parliament are the Inkatha Freedom Party, which mainly represents Zulu voters, and the Independent Democrats, who took 6.97% and 1.7% of the vote respectively, in the 2004 election.

abahlali.org/node/1898|title=Article by Imran Buccus in the Mercury newspaper}}</ref> Many of these protests have been organised from the growing shanty towns that surround South African cities.//abahlali.org/node/1898|title=Article by Imran Buccus in the Mercury newspaper}}</ref> Many of these protests have been organised from the growing shanty towns that surround South African cities.

On the 18th of December 2007, Jacob Zuma was nominated as the president of the ANC and will therefore replace Thabo Mbeki as President of South Africa in 2009. Jacob Zuma beat out Thabo Mbeki with 2 329 against 1 505 votes in their race for the presidency of the African National Congress.

Law

Main article: Law of South Africa

The primary sources of South Africa law were Roman-Dutch mercantile law and personal law with English Common law, as imports of Dutch settlements and British colonialism. The first European based law in South Africa was brought by the Dutch East India Company and is called Roman-Dutch law. It was imported before the codification of European law into the Napoleonic Code and is comparable in many ways to Scottish law. This was followed in the 19th century by British law both common and statutory. Starting in 1910 with unification, South Africa had its own parliament which passed laws specific for South Africa, building on those previously passed for the individual member colonies.

Provinces, districts and municipalities

Main articles: Provinces of South Africa, Districts of South Africa, and Municipalities of South Africa

When apartheid ended in 1994, the South African government had to integrate the formerly independent and semi-independent Bantustans into the political structure of South Africa. To this end, it abolished the four former provinces of South Africa (Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal) and replaced them with nine fully integrated provinces. The new provinces are usually much smaller than the former provinces, which theoretically gives local governments more resources to distribute over smaller areas.

The nine provinces are further subdivided into 52 districts: 6 metropolitan and 46 district municipalities. The 46 district municipalities are further subdivided into 231 local municipalities. The district municipalities also contain 20 district management areas (mostly game parks) that are directly governed by the district municipalities. The six metropolitan municipalities perform the functions of both district and local municipalities. The new provinces are: Modèle:SouthAfricaProvinces

Geography

Main article: Geography of South Africa

www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html|title=World Fact Book|publisher=CIA}}</ref> South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after Mali). It is comparable in size to Colombia. Njesuthi in the Drakensberg at 3 408 m (11,424 ft) is the highest peak in South Africa.//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html|title=World Fact Book|publisher=CIA}}</ref> South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after Mali). It is comparable in size to Colombia. Njesuthi in the Drakensberg at 3 408 m (11,424 ft) is the highest peak in South Africa.

South Africa has a generally temperate climate, due in part to it being surrounded by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans on three sides, by its location in the climatically milder southern hemisphere and due to the average elevation rising steadily towards the north (towards the equator) and further inland. Due to this varied topography and oceanic influence, a great variety of climatic zones exist.

The climatic zones vary, from the extreme desert of the southern Namib in the farthest northwest to the lush subtropical climate in the east along the Mozambique border and the Indian ocean. From the east, the land quickly rises over a mountainous escarpment towards the interior plateau known as the Highveld. Even though South Africa is classified as semi-arid, there is considerable variation in climate as well as topography.

The interior of South Africa is a vast, rather flat, and sparsely populated scrubland, Karoo, which is drier towards the northwest along the Namib desert. In contrast, the eastern coastline is lush and well-watered, which produces a climate similar to the tropics. The extreme southwest has a climate remarkably similar to that of the Mediterranean with wet winters and hot, dry summers, hosting the famous Fynbos Biome. This area also produces much of South Africa's wine. This region is also particularly known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year. The severity of this wind made passing around the Cape of Good Hope particularly treacherous for sailors, causing many shipwrecks. Further east on the country's south coast, rainfall is distributed more evenly throughout the year, producing a green landscape. This area is popularly known as the Garden Route.

The Free State is particularly flat due to the fact that it lies centrally on the high plateau. North of the Vaal River, the Highveld becomes better watered and does not experience subtropical extremes of heat. Johannesburg, in the centre of the Highveld, is at 1740 metres (5 709 ft) and receives an annual rainfall of 760 millimetres (30 in). Winters in this region are cold, although snow is rare.

To the north of Johannesburg, the altitude drops beyond the Highveld's escarpment, and turns into the lower lying Bushveld, an area of mixed dry forest and an abundance of wildlife. East of the Highveld, beyond the eastern escarpment, the Lowveld stretches towards the Indian ocean. It has particularly high temperatures, and is also the location of extended subtropical agriculture. The mountains of the Barberton Greenstone belt in the lowveld are the oldest mountains on Earth, dating back 3.5 Billion years. The earliest reliable proof of life (dated 3.2–3.5 Billion years old) has been found in these mountains.

The high Drakensberg mountains, which form the south-eastern escarpment of the Highveld, offer limited skiing opportunities in winter. Many people think that the coldest place in South Africa is Sutherland in the western Roggeveld Mountains, where midwinter temperatures can reach as low as −15 degrees Celsius (5 °F). In fact, the coldest place is actually Buffelsfontein, which is in the Molteno district of the Eastern Cape. Buffelsfontein recorded a low of −18.6 degrees Celsius (-1.5 °F).<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

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. Retrieved on 2006-07-17. </ref>//www.southafrica.co.za/agriculture_29.html | work = South Africa Online | title = Agriculture |accessdate= 2006-07-17}}</ref>

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1052-2352011,00.html South Africa's bitter harvest].</ref> a fear exacerbated by comments made by the country's deputy president.<ref>South Africans' long wait for land, BBC News.</ref><ref>SA 'to learn from' land seizures, BBC News.</ref> The sector continues to face problems, with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem of farm attacks as opposed to other forms of violent crime.<ref name = "Times">Farms of Fear, The Sunday Times Magazine.</ref>//www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1052-2352011,00.html South Africa's bitter harvest].</ref> a fear exacerbated by comments made by the country's deputy president.<ref>South Africans' long wait for land, BBC News.</ref><ref>SA 'to learn from' land seizures, BBC News.</ref> The sector continues to face problems, with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem of farm attacks as opposed to other forms of violent crime.<ref name = "Times">Farms of Fear, The Sunday Times Magazine.</ref>

www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/114303555233.htm Climate change to create African 'water refugees' – scientists], Reuters Alertnet. Accessed 21 September 2006].</ref> To reverse the damage caused by land mismanagement, the government has supported a scheme which promotes sustainable development and the use of natural resources.<ref>Department of Agriculture South Africa.</ref>//www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/114303555233.htm Climate change to create African 'water refugees' – scientists], Reuters Alertnet. Accessed 21 September 2006].</ref> To reverse the damage caused by land mismanagement, the government has supported a scheme which promotes sustainable development and the use of natural resources.<ref>Department of Agriculture South Africa.</ref>

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of South Africa

Modèle:HistoricalPopulations

www.statssa.gov.za/census01/html/default.asp Census 2001], Statistics South Africa.</ref> The 2006 midyear estimated figures for the other categories were Black African at 79.5%, White at 9.2%, Coloured at 8.9%, and Indian or Asian at 2.5%.<ref>{{cite web//www.statssa.gov.za/census01/html/default.asp Census 2001], Statistics South Africa.</ref> The 2006 midyear estimated figures for the other categories were Black African at 79.5%, White at 9.2%, Coloured at 8.9%, and Indian or Asian at 2.5%.<ref>{{cite web | www.weathersa.co.za/Pressroom/2005/2005Jun30ColdestPlaceInSA.jsp|//www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022006.pdf | title=Midyear population estimates, South Africa | format=PDF | date=2006 | publisher=Statistics South Africa | accessdate = 2007-11-28 www.statssa.gov.za/Publications/CS2007Basic/CS2007Basic.pdf statssa.gov.za]</ref> (primarily due to immigration), the country had an annual population growth rate of −0.46% in 2007.<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

. History of Scouting in South Africa
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Languages

Main article: Languages of South Africa

www.fs.gov.za/Departments/SAC/Library/DEPART/lang_legislation1.htm]</ref>//www.fs.gov.za/Departments/SAC/Library/DEPART/lang_legislation1.htm]</ref> Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. In this regard it is second only to India in number. While each language is technically equal to every other, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2001 National Census, the three most spoken first home languages are Zulu (23.8%), Xhosa (17.6%) and Afrikaans (13.3%).<ref name = "Census2001"/>

There are eleven official names for South Africa, one in each of the official national languages.

The country also recognizes eight non-official languages: Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San and South African Sign Language^{[citation needed]}. These non-official languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.

Many of the "unofficial languages" of the San and Khoikhoi people contain regional dialects stretching northward into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming extinct.

Many white South Africans also speak other European languages, such as Portuguese (also spoken by Angolan and Mozambican blacks), German, and Greek, while some Asians and Indians in South Africa speak South Asian languages, such as Telugu, Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil.

Sports

The main sports in South Africa are soccer (football), rugby union, cricket and boxing. Other sports with significant support are swimming, golf and netball. Basketball, surfing and skateboarding are popular amongst the youth.

Famous Boxing personalities include Baby Jake Jacob Matlala, Vuyani Bungu, Welcome Ncita, "the rose of Soweto" Dingaan Thobela, Gerrie Coetzee and Brian Mitchell. Soccer players who have excelled in international clubs include Lucas Radebe of Leeds United and Quinton Fortune, formerly of Manchester United, Benni McCarthy of Blackburn Rovers and Steven Pienaar of Everton. South Africa produced Formula 1 motor racing's 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter. Sarel van der Merwe won many national titles during the 1970's, 80's, and 90's.

South Africa hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup at their first attempt and again won the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, beating reigning champions England in the final. It followed the 1995 Rugby World Cup final by hosting and winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations football tournament. It also hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup. South Africa will be the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which will be the first time the tournament is held in Africa.

In 2004, the team of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, simultaneously breaking the world record in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Shoeman, Ferns, and Neethling trained at the University of Arizona. Previously Penny Heyns won Olympic Gold in the 1996 olympics. Several other swimmers have participated and won in international swimming events.

Health

HIV/AIDS

Main article: HIV/AIDS in South Africa

The spread of AIDS (acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome) is an alarming problem in South Africa with up to 31% of pregnant women found to be HIV infected in 2005 and the infection rate among adults estimated at 20%.<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

. Avert  
 

 

. Retrieved on 2006-10-08. </ref> The link between HIV, a virus spread primarily by sexual contact, and AIDS has long been denied by the president and the health minister, who have insisted that the many deaths in the country are due to malnutrition, and hence poverty, and not HIV.<ref>You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

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. Retrieved on 2006-10-08. </ref> Recently, in 2007, the government made efforts to fight AIDS.<ref>info.gov.za</ref>

AIDS affects mainly those who are sexually active and is far more prevalent in the black population, which means the demographics of the country are slowly changing^{[citation needed]}. Most deaths are people who are also economically active, resulting in many families losing their primary wage earners. This has resulted in many 'AIDS orphans' who in many cases depend on the state for care and financial support.<ref name="avertaids">You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.

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. Retrieved on 2006-10-08. </ref> It is estimated that there are 1,200,000 orphans in South Africa.<ref name="avertaids"/> Many elderly people also lose the support from lost younger members of their family.

www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/2007/aidsplan2007/situation_analysis.pdf info.gov.za]</ref>//www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/2007/aidsplan2007/situation_analysis.pdf info.gov.za]</ref>

Malaria

www.statssa.gov.za/news_archive/14September2006_1.asp</ref>//www.statssa.gov.za/news_archive/14September2006_1.asp</ref>

Crime

Main article: Crime in South Africa

Owing to the fact that very little accurate information on crime is available for the other African countries, it is difficult to judge how South Africa fares against the rest of the continent, crime-wise. International comparative studies on crime generally do not take into account African countries for which recent statistics are not available.

www.nationmaster.com/red/country/sf/Crime&b_cite=1 NationMaster: South African Crime Statistics]</ref> Total crime per capita is tenth out of the sixty countries in the data set.//www.nationmaster.com/red/country/sf/Crime&b_cite=1 NationMaster: South African Crime Statistics]</ref> Total crime per capita is tenth out of the sixty countries in the data set.

Crime has had a pronounced effect on society: many middle-class South Africans moved into gated communities, abandoning the central business districts of some cities for the relative security of suburbs. This effect is most pronounced in Johannesburg, although the trend is noticeable in other cities as well. Many emigrants from South Africa also state that crime was a big motivator for them to leave. Crime against the farming community has continued to be a major problem.<ref>"

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Military

Main article: South African National Defence Force

South Africa's armed forces, known as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), was created in 1994. Previously known simply as the South African Defence Force (SADF), the new force consists of the forces of the old SADF, as well as the forces of the African nationalist groups, namely Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), and the former homeland defence forces. The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the South African Army, the South African Air Force, the South African Navy, and the South African Military Health Services.

In recent years, the SANDF has become a major peacekeeping force in Africa, and has been involved in operations in Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi, amongst others. It has also participated as a part of multi-national UN peacekeeping forces.

South Africa undertook a nuclear weapons program in the 1970s and may have conducted a nuclear test over the Atlantic in 1979. It has since renounced its nuclear program and, after destroying its small nuclear arsenal, signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1991. It is the only African country to have successfully developed nuclear weapons.

Media

Main article: Media in South Africa

South Africa has a large, free, and active press that regularly challenges the government, a habit formed during the apartheid era when the press was the medium least controlled by the government. Major scandals have erupted when the press reported charges of corruption that were proven to be true in cases such as that of Schabir Shaik, in which (then) deputy president Jacob Zuma was implicated, and the corruption allegations that led to the dismissal of Winnie Mandela from parliament. Even though South Africa now has the most sophisticated media network in Africa, it was one of the last countries in the world to allow television, with colour TV broadcasts only commencing in 1975. By the end of apartheid in 1994, television networks covered all urban areas and some less populated areas, while radio networks covered almost all of the country.

During the Apartheid era the majority of commercial and all public-service radio stations and all of the television channels were operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and were subject to strict control and censorship by the government, with a few independent regional stations allowed. The creation of the independent black homelands (or Bantustans) in the 1970s allowed for the establishment of TV and radio stations outside of the control of the apartheid Government. Following the demise of apartheid, the broadcasting industry was deregulated with many of the commercial regional SABC radio stations and former Bantustan stations privatised and sold to companies and consortia that were majority-owned by black people. Three SABC television channels are in place at present.

An African language channel was introduced to the SABC in 1981 (during apartheid) with a second African language channel added later in the decade. The SABC's television monopoly was eventually challenged in 1986 when a new privately owned subscription television network, M-Net, was launched. However M-Net was not licenced to operate a news service.

South Africa currently has two terrestrial free-to-air television networks SABC and e.tv, one subscription based terrestrial network, M-Net, as well as two satellite television services, DStv, operated by M-Net's owners, Multichoice and Vivid, operated by the state-owned signal distributor Sentech. e.tv is licenced to operate an independent television news service. DStv broadcasts local and international news and entertainment channels Africa-wide via satellite.

Tourism

South Africa is a popular tourist destination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes from tourism^{[citation needed]}. Among the main attractions are the diverse and picturesque culture, the game reserves and the highly regarded local wines. In recent years, tourism in South Africa has seen high growth with the first five months of 2007 showing the highest levels of tourism in South Africa since 1998. Figures released by Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism show a decided increase in foreign visitors.

International rankings

Modèle:SouthAfricaRankings

See also

• South African diplomatic missions
• Foreign relations of South Africa
• Ecotourism in South Africa

Modèle:South African topics

Bibliography

. South Africa Government Online
. South African Government  
 

 

References

External links

Modèle:Portal Modèle:Sisterlinks

Government www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.parliament.gov.za Parliament of South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/ Constitutional Court of South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.southafrica.info/ South Africa Official Gateway]

News www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.iol.co.za/ Independent Online] news portal www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.mg.co.za/ Mail & Guardian] daily newspaper www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.news24.com/ News 24] news portal www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.weathersa.co.za South African Weather Service]

Overviews

• Wikimedia Commons Atlas of South Africa

www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.economist.com/countries/SouthAfrica/ The Economist/Country Briefings - South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1071886.stm BBC News Country Profile - South Africa] www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html CIA World Factbook - South Africa]//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html CIA World Factbook - South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.business-anti-corruption.dk/normal.asp?pageid=98 Business Anti-Corruption Portal = South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/zatoc.html Library of Congress Country Study - South Africa] www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/South_Africa Open Directory Project - South Africa]

Tourism

• Modèle:Wikitravel

www.gov.za/ South Africa Government Online]//www.southafrica.net/ Official South African Tourism website]

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