Our South Africa Travel Guide

The South African rand (ZAR) is the national currency of the country of South Africa, with the symbol ZAR being the currency abbreviation for the rand in foreign exchange (forex) markets. The rand comes from the word "Witwatersrand," which means "white waters ridge." Johannesburg, the location of a majority of South Africa's gold deposits, is located on this ridge

South Africa has a diverse linguistic landscape, with 11 official languages recognized by the Constitution: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, and isiZulu. For many years, the official languages of South Africa were European – Dutch, English, and Afrikaans – while African languages, spoken by the majority of the population, were not recognized. However, the new Constitution of 1996 granted official protection to all major languages. In total, South Africa has around 34 historically established languages, 30 of which are living languages and 4 of which are extinct Khoesan languages.

Mean annual temperature for South Africa as a whole is 17.5℃, with average monthly temperatures ranging between 22°C (December, January) and 11°C (June, July). Annual precipitation is 469.9 mm, with highest rainfall occurring November to March, coupled with extremely low precipitation occurring between June to August.

For South Africa there are four associated plug types, types C, D, M and N. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins, plug type D is the plug which has three round pins in a triangular pattern and plug types M and N both have three round pins. South Africa operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

According to the latest data from the United Nations, the current population of South Africa is 61,097,618 as of November 25, 2022. This information was compiled by Worldometer

Three of the world's five fastest animals – the lion, cheetah, and wildebeest – can be found in South Africa. These animals are known for their speed and agility, and are popular attractions for visitors to the country.