"A world in one country!" a South Africa Travel Page by MikeAtSea

Writing about my home country I can honestly state that it is the most diverse and colourful country in the world.
The diversity in flora, fauna, people, cultures and landscapes is unmatched anywhere in the world.
Covering the entire Southern tip of the continent of Africa the country is home to some 40 Million people. No fewer then 11 official languages are spoken in South Africa and since the transition to a democratic state in 1994 this country has become one of most liberal countries on earth.
From the subtropical beaches bordering the Indian Ocean along the East Coast of South Africa and the cosmopolitan city of Durban to the Atlantic Coast on the West and the bustling centre of Cape Town to the centre and the economical hub of the country Johannesburg and Pretoria there is a magnitude of areas to be explored and enjoyed.

The country has got one of the best conservation policies on the African continent and offers hundreds of government run or privately managed game reserve. The Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province in the North East, the Kalahari Transfrontier National Park in the Northern Cape, Hluhluwe / Umfolozi in KwaZulu Natal, Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape or the Tsitsikama National Park along the Garden Route are just some of the few areas where one can find the abundance of wild- and birdlife as well as thousands of indigenous plants and trees.
Tradition is blended in this colourful mix of immigrants and locals. The country is home to the descendents of Shaka Zulu as the proud Zulu Nation or the children of the Xhosa Nations with Nelson Mandela as the father of the nation being the most prominent one. Afrikaans and English traditions mix in the countries cities as well as rural areas.

Foremost it is Africa’s leading economical nation and its infrastructure is the best of all 53 nations on the continent. If you stroll around the cities of the country or explore the vast countryside, all are easy to be accessed in the comfort of excellent roads, by plane, rail or even by cruise ship in the number of ports along the 3000 km long coastline. Accommodation in the country ranges from top game lodges that will set you back a pretty penny to comfortable and inexpensive bed and breakfasts.
The economy offers the largest resources of gold and platinum, has got large coal reserves and produces every imaginable agricultural product. Large international companies have set up production in South Africa and exports have been on the steady increase since the sanctions due to Apartheid were dropped in the early 1990’s.
Yet it is a country of both the First and the Third World, however the government making every attempt to lift the poor out of poverty and to balance the inequality of the former Apartheid regime against the majority of the Black population.
It is a world in one country, from deserts to subtropical beaches, from mountain ranges to coastal reserves, its cities are as diverse as the colourful mix of its inhabitants, and it is a safe and convenient destination to explore the wild or to enjoy the tranquil, because everything can be found in one country – South Africa!