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The People, Country, and Culture of South AfricaWorld Studies
Mr. P’s Take
I spent 6 weeks in South Africa during the summer of 2012 with 24 other teachers from around the U.S.!
I met great people, both from South Africa and the U.S.
I noticed many similarities between the U.S. and South Africa, and some major differences as well.
Bottom line: South Africa is culturally and physically beautiful and very diverse….there is no place else like it!
South African Flag
South Africa
South Africa (Political)
Basics of South Africa
“The Rainbow Nation”
Population: 51,770,00 (2011) (5th largest in Africa)
Land Area: 1,221,037 sq. km (9th largest in Africa) Divided into 9 provinces
Largest Cities Johannesburg (Soweto)
Cape Town (Legislative Capital)
Durban
Pretoria (Executive Capital)
Cape Town (Table Mountain)
A Brief History of South Africa
Pre-1600: SA occupied by various Bantu speaking groups, including Xhosa and Zulu.
1652: The Dutch established the Cape Colony
1806: British take control of the Cape Colony
1931: Union of South Africa is formed; independence from GB
1948-1994: Apartheid Era
1994: End of Apartheid, Mandela elected President
Physical Geography of South Africa
Atlantic ocean to the West, Indian ocean to the East
The Drakensberg mountainsHighest mountain range in Southern Africa
The KarooA dry, semi-desert covering much of
western Africa
South Africa (Physical)
Drakensberg mts.
Cape Aguhlas
Climate of South Africa
Located in the Southern hemisphere, therefore:
Summer= Oct-March Hot, humid, afternoon rain
Winter= April-Sept. Cooler, dry, sunny
Exception: Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate…cool, rainy, cloudy in the winter. Good for growing crops such as wine grapes
Ethnicity in South Africa
South Africa is a multi-ethnic state, meaning people belong to a variety of ethnic groups.
Black (79%) Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi. Tswana
White (9%) Afrikaaners, English, French
Coloured (9%) Mixed race
Indian/Asian (3%) Originally slaves/ laborers from India
Faces of South Africa
Language in South Africa
South Africa has 11 official languages, 2 of which are European (Afrikaans and English).
Xhosa, aka the click language, is widely spoken in certain regions.
English is widely spoken in business and academic settings, but other languages are spoken widely at home.
Language Example
Religion in South Africa
Christianity is the dominant religion in South Africa (80%)
About 1.5% are Muslim
About 1.2 % Hindu (primarily in Durban)
Many South Africans combine Christianity with traditional African Animist beliefs.
South African Churches
Education in South Africa
12 grades, including primary, secondary, and tertiary (college) levels.
Literacy rate is 88%.
Government spends 20% of budget on education
Education of black Africans was stifled under Apartheid.
Many consider the South African system of education to be failing, as most students cannot pass their “Matric” exams and do not graduate.
Typical Classroom
Crazy Guys
Crazy Girls
Computers that work?!?!?!
South African Economy
Largest economy in Africa, considered to be one of the world’s “emerging markets”
GDP per capita: $11,100 (5th highest in Africa, 3rd of large countries)
25% unemployment, live on less that $1.25/day
Major industries include: gold, platinum, diamond mining, tourism, auto assembly, wine.
Diamond Mining
Poorer Area
South Africa Today
While SA has made substantial gains since Apartheid, it still faces some serious problems:
HIV/ AIDS (20% among adults)
Poverty
High unemployment (50%)
Violence, high occurrences of rape
Political corruption/ inefficiency
President Jacob Zuma