Facts to know about South Africa before visiting

South Africa has:

• 11 official languages • 9 provinces
• international airports
• Numerous national smaller airports
• 2 international airlines

• 3 low cost airlines

• 12 official public holidays (and if one falls on a Sunday, the Monday is also a public holiday)
• South Africa is rich in plant and animal life

• The Big 5 are the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino

The 11 official languages are:

• Afrikaans

• English

• isiNdebele

• isiXhosa
• isiZulu

• Sepedi

• Sesotho

• Setswana

• siSwati

• Tshivenda

• Xitsonga

The 9 provinces are:

• Eastern Cape

• Free State (Bloemfontein, the city of roses)

• Gauteng (South Africa's capital city Pretoria is here with Johannesburg a mere 30km away.)

• KwaZulu-Natal (The coastal towns of Durban, Ballito etc are here)

• Limpopo (Polokwane is the "capital" of this province)

• Mpumalanga

• North-West

• Northern Cape

• Western Cape (Cape Town is located in this region)

Religions:

• Zion

• Christian
• Pentecostal/Charismatic

• Catholic
• Methodist

• Dutch Reformed
• Anglican • Muslim

Public holidays:

• 1 January New Year's Day

• 21 March Human Rights Day

• 21 March Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
• 24 March Family Day (Monday after Easter Sunday)

• 27 April** Freedom Day • 1 May Workers Day

• 16 June Youth Day • 9 August National Women's Day
• 24 September Heritage Day

• 16 December Day of Reconciliation

• 25 December Christmas Day

• 26 December Day of Goodwill

Climate:

• Average temperatures in ºC

• Cape Town (Summer)20 (Winter)12.6

• Durban (Summer)23.6 (Winter)17

• Johannesburg (Summer)19.4 (Winter)11.1

• Pretoria (Summer)22.4 (Winter)12.9

Important information:

• South Africans drive on the left side of the road (Keep left pass right).

• National authority responsible for road safety at www.nra.co.za

• The maximum speed limit is 120km per hour.

• The minimum speed limit usually is 60km per hour.

• The passports of all travelers to South Africa must contain at least two blank (unstamped) visa pages each time entry is sought; these pages are in addition to the endorsement/amendment pages at the back of the passport. Otherwise, the traveler, even when in possession of a valid South African visa, may be refused entry into South Africa, fined, and returned to their point of origin at the traveler's expense.

• Visit the Embassy of South Africa web site at http://www.saembassy.org.