South Africa is very popular for its exquisite natural beauty, abundance of wild life and its varied cultures of the natives.

History:

   The ancient tribes of South Africa were the San, Khoikhoi and Bantu speaking tribes. The Portuguese tried to trade with Khoikhoi but they were not able to succeed in their trials. The Dutch East India tried for the colonization in South Africa. Few Dutch workers owned the lands for farming and they were known as burghers. Gradually the colonization stretched to the north and east of South Africa. Later it was taken over by British in 180 and that was the stage when apartheid entered South Africa. The British were very cruel towards the natives of South Africa. The natives of South Africa had to live in villages where there were no facilities of food, water and sanitation.

Culture:

   South Africa’s culture is widely varied and the different European countries which invaded South Africa had strongly influenced the culture. The population of South Africa consists of a mixture of whites, blacks, Asians etc. Their life style, tradition and custom are very different. The languages spoken here include English, Afrikaans, Bantu, Sotho, Nguni etc.

Wild life:

   The wild animals of South Africa are very popular around the world. The international union of conservation of nature has surveyed the kinds of wild animals in South Africa. According to their report, 299 mammal species are present in the forests here. Most of them fall into the dangerous margin of extinction. The Sei whale, mountain zebra, blue whale, giant golden mole etc must be taken care of, as they are in the endangered list. There are lots of wild life parks which are a must visit place for the tourists and they can enjoy safari rides in these wild life reserves. Some of them are the world famous Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Diamonds:

   In 1867 the first diamond found in South Africa was of 21 carats. It was in the form of a pebble. In 1869 one more diamond was found which was of 83 carats. These discoveries led to the establishment of Kimberley diamond mine.

    South Africa became a member of United Nations Organization in 1945. Due to its strong bond with Common Wealth, it was declared as a Republic in 1961. In 1993, Nelson Mandela and De Clarke abolished the practice of apartheid in South Africa. Due to this, they were honored with the Nobel Prize in the same year.