South Africa

South Africa forms part of the continent of Africa, where it has a coastal position and is bordered by Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Africa is the world's second largest continent, occupying a total area of 30,370,000 km2. Africa has 54 countries, and forms 20.4% of the world's landmass. South Africa is a coastal country that encompasses a total area of approximately 1,221,040 km2. It is the ninth largest country by area in Africa.

The following details provide a guide to South Africa's approximate border lengths:
Coastline 2,798 km, Botswana 1,969 km, Lesotho 1,106 km, Mozambique 496 km, Namibia 1,005 km, Swaziland 438 km, Zimbabwe 230 km.

The climate of South Africa can be described as being semiarid for the most part and subtropical along eastern coastal regions. Most of the country experiences days that are usually warm and sunny, with cooler night time temperatures. The geography of South Africa is dominated by hilly regions, large plateau and a narrow coastal region. South Africa surrounds the enclave country of Lesotho entirely and almost surrounds Swaziland too. The lowest point of South Africa is the Atlantic Ocean at 0m, and the highest point of elevation is Njesuthi at 3,408m.

The official languages of South Africa are isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga, SiSwati, Tshivenda and isiNdebele. South Africa has eleven official languages in total.

The primary religion of South Africa is Protestant at approximately 36% of the population with the major religions being Zionist Christian, Pentecostal, Methodist, Dutch Reformed and Anglican. Around 7% are Catholic and 1% Muslim. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of resources that occur naturally in an individual country are influenced by varying factors such as the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries are very rich in natural resources, where as others have limited to none. Countries that have particularly rich resources include Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources of South Africa include gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt and natural gas.

Each country has its own individual culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, mottos, colors, anthems and songs represent the national pride and identity of countries worldwide. These national symbols are forged through a nation's unique history and can represent both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a nation such as wildlife, plants, geographical features, crops, tools of agriculture, and tools of war. The following facts and information provide a guide to some of the most important national symbols, songs and colors of South Africa: