Our Country

South Africa

red

green

Our flagOur flag

black

blue

yellow

white

South African flag meaning• Red: Symbolises the hardships fought in the StruggleRed: Symbolises the hardships fought in the Struggle• White: Symbolises cleansingWhite: Symbolises cleansing• Black: Symbolises the chaos that was once here.Black: Symbolises the chaos that was once here.• Gold: Symbolises the richness of the land and our Gold: Symbolises the richness of the land and our

mineral wealthmineral wealth• Green: Symbolises our fertile landGreen: Symbolises our fertile land• Blue: Symbolises the ocean/waterBlue: Symbolises the ocean/water

The 'Y' symbolises the merging The 'Y' symbolises the merging

nationalities - i.e. unitynationalities - i.e. unity

The coat of arms

South Africa

Meaning of coat of arms

Adopted: 2000

The motto: !ke e:/xarra//ke, means Diverse People Unite.

Used On: all Acts of Parliament; the cover of all passports; identity documents; various government departments; notes and coins; medals.

National AnthemLanguage Lyrics English translation

XhosaNkosi sikelel' iAfrikaMaluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,

God bless AfricaLet Africa's horn be raised,

ZuluYizwa imithandazo yethu,Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Listen also to our prayers,Lord bless us, we are the family of Africa.

Sesotho

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika — South Afrika.

Lord bless our nation,Stop wars and sufferings,Save it, save our nation,The nation of South Africa — South Africa.

Afrikaans

Uit die blou van onse hemel,Uit die diepte van ons see,Oor ons ewige gebergtes,Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

From the blue of our heavens,From the depths of our seas,Over our everlasting mountains,Where the cliffs give answer,

English

Sounds the call to come together,And united we shall stand,Let us live and strive for freedomIn South Africa our land.

Interesting facts about South Africa

South Africa

Name: Republic of South Africa, RSA, ZA ("Zuid Afrika")

Population: 52 million people live in South Africa (2013)

Government: Democracy, since 1994.

Religion: mainly Christians and Muslims, but also Jews and other faiths.

Provinces: South Africa has 9 provinces.

South Africa is the most southern country on the African Continent. 

Our CountryCapital of South AfricaPretoria, which changed its name into Tswane in 2007 is the main capital of South Africa. South Africa has three capital cities. The powers are distributed between Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. The parliament meets for six months in Pretoria and the other half of the year in Cape Town. 

Cape TownPretoria Bloemfontein

11 official languages

South Africa - Food

• The South African staple food for the locals is mealies, which is corn, and seasonal vegetables, like potatoes, beans, carrots and peas.

• South Africans love their meat and game meat like kudu and springbok are common. However, most people eat beef, chicken, lamb and ostrich for their meats. The people in South Africa love to grill their food and almost every house has got a fireplace which is called a braai on the veranda.

Typical South African food:• Bobotie: typical Cape Malay food

containing rice, lamb and fragrant spices

• Koeksisters: tastes like donuts soaked in sticky sweet sauce. Yummy!

• Mealie pap: corn porridge

• Biltong: a cured and dried meat that is a typical South African snack and similar to beef jerky

Our national flower: The Protea

The proteas also give their

name to South Africa's

national cricket team.

Did you know?

Our national bird: The Blue Crane

Our national animal:

The SpringbokDid you know?

The springbok

also gives its name to the

South African rugby team - fondly known

as "the Boks".

Our national salt water fish:The Galjoen

Our national tree:

Yellowwood tree

Things or people that makes us proud.

Nelson Mandela – he fought for what was

right for our country! He is a true South African

hero.

Rugby World Cup.

We won it twice!

Robben Island Nelson Mandela was in prison for

17 years on Robben Island.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Cape Floral Region

The Cape Floral Region takes up only 0.04% of the world's land area, yet contains an astonishing 3% percent of its plant species. This makes it one of the richest areas for plants in the world and one of the globe's 18 biodiversity hot spots.

Table Mountain – Cape Town Table mountain is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. The view from the top of Table Mountain has been described as one of the most epic views in Africa.

Cape of Good Hope

Two oceans meet here.

Castle of Good Hope - Cape Town

The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in South Africa. Built by Jan van Riebeeck and the Dutch East India Company, the building, which is an example of a “star fort”, was completed in 1679. The building now functions as a popular museum.

V & A Waterfront – Cape Town

Rhodes Memorial - Cape Town

Kruger National Park The term 'Big Five' was historically used to denote the five most dangerous animals to hunt in South Africa. Fortunately the term is now used to describe the most popular and exciting animals to view, whilst on safari in the Kruger National Park.

Animals at game parks

Wildlife in South Africa is abundant. There are many species of antelope like kudu, springbok, wildebeest, impalas, oryx and gemsbok. When you go on a safari you can see many other South African animals like lions, elephants, giraffes and monkeys.

South Africa's sea life

South Africa is home to the African penguins, Bottlenose dolphins and the Great White Sharks are living in the ocean waters here too. Sometimes beaches are closed for bathing, due to the sharks in the bays.

Whale watching

Whale Watching is very popular in South Africa and you will encounter an enormous sea life in South Africa when you go on a boat trip.

Cango Caves near Oudtshoorn

Garden Route – George, Knysna, Plettenbergbay

Cradle of Humankind – near Johannesburg, Gauteng

The Cradle of Humankind in South Africa, has one of the world's richest concentrations of hominid fossils, evidence of human evolution over the last 3.5-million years.

Township tours – Soweto, Knysna, Khayelitsha

Vredefort Dome

Some 2-billion years ago a meteorite 10 kilometres in diameter hit the earth about 100km southwest of Johannesburg, creating an enormous impact crater. This area, near the town of Vredefort in the Free State, is known as the Vredefort Dome.

Sun City

Isimangaliso Wetland Park – St. Lucia

On 1 November 2007, South Africa's first World Heritage Site, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, was given a new name that better reflects its unique African identity: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Big Hole at Kimberley

This is the largest hand-dug hole in the world, excavated during the biggest diamond rush the world has ever seen.

Drakensberg Mountains:

An awe-inspiring and truly magnificent range of mountains, the majority of which lie in the KwaZulu Natal Province and stretch well over 200 kilometres, forming a natural border between Lesotho and KwaZulu Natal. 

uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park

The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park has outstanding natural beauty, Africa's highest mountain range south of Kilimanjaro, and the largest and most concentrated series of rock art paintings in Africa - making it a World Heritage site of both natural and cultural significance.

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape covers 160 000 hectares of dramatic mountainous desert in the north-west part of South Africa.

Hope you have enjoyed our

beautiful country called the

Rainbow Nation!