Background : Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule

Capital : Pretoria

Climate : mostly semi arid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

Currency : South African Rand (ZAR)

Terrain : vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Natural Resources : gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Natural Hazards : prolonged droughts

Population : 44,344,136

Languages : IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)

Industries : mining (worlds largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Government type : Republic