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Portal:South Africa

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South Africa
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Introduction

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa
Map of the South Africa within Africa.

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini, and entirely surrounds Lesotho.

South Africa has the largest population of people of European descent in Africa, one of the largest Indian population outside of Asia, as well as the largest Coloured (of mixed European, Asian and African descent) community in Africa, making it one of the most ethnically diverse countries on the continent. Racial and ethnic strife between the black majority and the white minority have played a large part in the country's history and politics. The National Party began introducing the policy of apartheid after winning the general election of 1948; however, it was the same party under the leadership of F.W. de Klerk who started to dismantle it in 1990 after a long struggle by the black majority, as well as many white, coloured and Indian South Africans.

The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular free and fair elections have been held since 1994, making it a regional power and among the most stable and liberal democracies in Africa.

South Africa is ranked as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank. It has the second largest economy in Africa after Nigeria, and the 34th-largest in the world. By purchasing power parity, South Africa has the 7th highest per capita income in Africa. Although being the second largest economy, South Africa has the most sophisticated economy in the continent, with modern infrastructure common throughout the country. The country is considered to be a newly industrialized country according to the World Bank classifications.

Koeburg Nuclear Power Station and its two pressurised light-water nuclear reactors

Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power station in South Africa and is the only one built on the African continent. It is located 30 km north of Cape Town, near Melkbosstrand on the west coast. It is owned and operated by the country's state-owned electricity public utility, Eskom. (Full article...)

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Voortrekker Monument
Voortrekker Monument
Credit: John Walker

The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. This massive granite structure is prominently located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854.

Did you know... - show different entries

The Big Hole

  • ...that Kimberley may have the biggest man-made hole in the world (pictured), but did you know that the southern Free State town of Jagersfontein has the deepest vertical man-made hole?
  • ...that staff and alumni of Adams College in South Africa have included (future) presidents of Uganda and Botswana, ambassadors, ministers, a Nobel laureate and a past West Indian Cricket captain?
  • ...that South Africa is the world's leader in mining and minerals. It has nearly 90% of the platinum metals on earth, 80% of the manganese, 73% of the chrome, 45% of the vanadium and 41% of the gold.

WikiProjects

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) is a classical Pentecostal Christian denomination in South Africa. With 1.2 million adherents, it is South Africa's largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest religious grouping in South Africa representing 7.6 percent of the population. Dr. Isak Burger has led the AFM as president since 1996 when the white and black branches of the church were united. It is a member of the Apostolic Faith Mission International, a fellowship of 23 AFM national churches. It is also a member of the South African Council of Churches. The AFM is one of the oldest Pentecostal movement is South Africa with roots in the Azusa Street Revival, the Holiness Movement teachings of Andrew Murray and the teachings of John Alexander Dowie. The AFM had an interracial character when it started, but, as in American Pentecostalism, this interracial cooperation was short-lived. The decades from the 1950s to the 1980s were marked by the implementation of apartheid. After 1994, the white AFM moved rapidly towards unification with the black churches. By 1996, all the AFM churches were united in a single multi-racial church. The constitution of the AFM blends at the national level the elements of a presbyterian polity with an episcopal polity. Decentralization is a major feature of its constitution, which allows local churches to develop their own policies. The Apostolic Faith Mission displays a variety of identities and ministry philosophies, including seeker-sensitive, Word of Faith, Presbyterian, and classical Pentecostal. (Full article...)

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Gordimer at the Gothenburg Book Fair, 2010

Nadine Gordimer (20 November 1923 – 13 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognised as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has ... been of very great benefit to humanity".

Gordimer was one of the most honoured female writers of her generation. She received the Booker Prize for The Conservationist, and the Central News Agency Literary Award for The Conservationist, Burger's Daughter and July's People. (Full article...)

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Morogo or moroho, also known as African spinach, refers to a group of at least three different dark green leafy vegetables found throughout Southern Africa harvested for human consumption. It is considered a traditional South African dish and forms an important part of the staple diet in rural communities. (Full article...)

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In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift—a more human face.

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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Credit: Christian Wörtz
Panoramic view from the Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

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The following are images from various South Africa-related articles on Wikipedia.

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