History UsefulNotes / SouthAfrica

The Republic of South Africa is a Southern African country situated at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin southern tip of Africa]] and comprises nine provinces. Bordering on UsefulNotes/{{Mozambique}}, UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}}, UsefulNotes/{{Botswana}}, UsefulNotes/{{Namibia}} and UsefulNotes/{{Eswatini}}[[note]]formerly and possibly better known as Swaziland - indeed, see map view to right...[[/note]], and completely surrounding UsefulNotes/{{Lesotho}}, it formed part of the British Commonwealth until it became a republic in 1961, but continued to implement the segregationist laws collectively known as the Apartheid system until 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the country's first democratic elections. Its capital cities are Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, which are recognized respectively as the executive, judicial and legislative capitals (i.e., a separate city for each branch of government). [[note]] Contrary to popular belief, Johannesburg is not a national capital, but the capital of Gauteng Province and the seat of the Constitutional Court. It is, however, very close to Pretoria.[[/note]]

* ''Series/DieLieweHeksie'' dates right back to the beginnings of South African television, and is an enchantingly guileless puppet show for kids about the adventures of a rather dim young witch in an idealised version of [=SA=].

* ''series/dieLieweHeksie'' dates right back to the beginnings of South African television, and is an enchantingly guileless puppet show for kids about the adventures of a rather dim young witch in an idealised version of [=SA=].

* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': Johannesburg is the setting where [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] and ComicBook/IronMan battle it out. [[ArtisticLicenceGeography Not as close to the coast as the movie implies.]]

* A number of South African firearms tend to appear a lot in movies and video games, particularly the Striker/Protecta (Which isn't actually used that much in real life outside of South Africa itself and Israel) and the MGL-140 (Which is actually used by the US military, as well as various police forces around the globe).

* '''Highest point:''' Mafadi (3450 m/11,319 ft) (56th)

* '''Highest point:''' Mafadi (3450 m/11,319 ft) (75th)

* '''Lowest point:''' Atlantic Ocean (3,646 m/11,962 ft) (-) and Indian Ocean (3,741 m/12,274 ft) (-)

* '''Country calling code:''' 27

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' ZA

[[AC: The South African flag]]
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/south_africa_flag_4017.png
->The flag combines the black/green/yellow colors of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_National_Congress African National Congress]], the party of Nelson Mandela and South Africa's dominant party since the end of apartheid, and the red/white/blue of the Netherlands and Great Britain, the nation's former colonial masters. The "Y" design symbolizes the convergence of South Africa's many cultures into a march to the future.

----

South Africa hosted the [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup 2010 FIFA World Cup]], which was widely regarded as a resounding success and has proved to be a landmark event for the country - its only truly unfortunate outcome was to instill in the world at large a [[MemeticMutation perverse fascination]] with the South African custom of blowing into plastic horns called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl5iQFKygxw "vuvuzelas"]] during matches. [[note]]Which is also strange to many South Africans (predominantly those who didn't watch soccer previously).[[/note]] South Africa is also a big cricketing nation, and their rugby team, the Springboks, is rather good too (being somewhere in the international top 5 at any given time). JRR Tolkien was born in this country.

South Africa hosted the [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup 2010 FIFA World Cup]], which was widely regarded as a resounding success and has proved to be a landmark event for the country - its only truly unfortunate outcome was to instill in the world at large a [[MemeticMutation perverse fascination]] with the South African custom of blowing into plastic horns called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl5iQFKygxw "vuvuzelas"]] during matches. [[note]]Which is also stange to many South Africans (prodominently those who didn't watch soccer previously).[[/note]] South Africa is also a big cricketing nation, and their rugby team, the Springboks, is rather good too (being somewhere in the international top 5 at any given time). JRR Tolkien was born in this country.

* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': Johannesburg is the setting where [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] and IronMan battle it out. [[ArtisticLicenceGeography Not as close to the coast as the movie implies.]]

* Let's not forget South African actors, including Charlize Theron and Sharlto Copley.

* ''Film/{{Chappie}}'', which is basically a vehicle for Music/DieAntwoord

* ''Film/{{Chappie}}''

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juw0yZHjG1Q This video]], taken at an international rugby match, demonstrates the essential problem of a national anthem, the first part of which expresses the hope of black people for freedom and dignity, and the second half of which is a remnant of the former Afrikaans-language national anthem used during the Apartheid era. In a predominantly white setting, some people sing along with ''Sikele i'Africa'' out of politeness and necessity. But look at what happens when the tempo and language switch to ''Uit die Blou van onse Hemel...'' Even the ''players'' start grinning and singing with more fervour. [[note]]The commentator puts this down to a PA system failure. But you can't help reflecting if the crowd had wanted to sing along with the whole thing, they'd have done so more noticeably right from the start. And watch the black member of the crowd who very obviously is ''not'' singing along with "Die Stem" and who looks uncomfortable. [[/note]]

The Republic of South Africa is a Southern African country situated at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin southern tip of Africa]] and comprises nine provinces. Bordering on Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini[[note]]formerly and possibly better known as Swaziland - indeed, see map voew to right...[[/note]], and completely surrounding Lesotho, it formed part of the British Commonwealth until it became a republic in 1961, but continued to implement the segregationist laws collectively known as the Apartheid system until 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the country's first democratic elections. Its capital cities are Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, which are recognized respectively as the executive, judicial and legislative capitals (i.e., a separate city for each branch of government). [[note]] Contrary to popular belief, Johannesburg is not a national capital, but the capital of Gauteng Province and the seat of the Constitutional Court. It is, however, very close to Pretoria.[[/note]]

A sizable country slightly larger than Colombia (and a bit under twice the size of Texas), and with a population of about 50 million, South Africa is home to more SceneryPorn than you can imagine. With dry scrubland, desert, semi-tropical areas and mountains, it's a wonderful ''veld''.

A huge country slightly larger than Colombia (and a bit under twice the size of Texas), and with a population of about 50 million, South Africa is home to more SceneryPorn than you can imagine. With dry scrubland, desert, semi-tropical areas and mountains, it's a wonderful ''veld''.

South Africa has a somewhat... complex history, due largely to its diverse ethnic make-up and its extremely unfortunate colonial legacy of segregation. Even though a good deal of progress has been made over the past two decades - it's home to one of the largest, if not ''the'' largest and fastest-growing middle class on the African continent, has the only functioning nuclear reactor in sub-Saharan Africa, and its three largest cities (Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban) were voted into a list of the top 100 places to live in the world - a good half of the population still lives below the poverty line, and housing shortages, not to mention a severely sub-standard education system, a very high crime rate (18,148 murders from April 2008 to March 2009[[note]]That's about twice as many in a month as the UK, with only ten million more people, has in an entire year[[/note]]), a reputation as the "Rape Capital of the World," and a one-in-ten HIV infection rate, all pose serious problems.

The concept of race in post-Apartheid South Africa is complex and fluid. In addition to black South Africans, which group comprises eighty percent of the total population and contains members of multiple ethnic origins and language groups, there is a considerable minority of white South Africans, who may be of Dutch, British, French Huguenot, Israeli, Greek, Portuguese or German descent, and who remain affected by the English/Afrikaans divide. There are also coloured [[note]]the term 'coloured' is not derogatory in South Africa. [[/note]] South Africans, who may be, inclusively, of white, black, Indonesian, Malaysian, Javanese, Arabic and/or Indian descent, and who have an extremely rich and diverse cultural heritage as a result, being mostly Afrikaans-speaking and having a high percentage of Muslims. There are also substantial immigrant groups of Indians, whose ancestors arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as migrant workers, and of people of Arabic descent, not to mention a Chinese population of around 100,000. There are also nearly 150,000 refugees, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa (and several million illegals); many come from UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}}. Contrary to the image most media would portray, racism is still widespread. Recent controversies surrounding racism include prominent politician Julius Malema[[note]](former leader of the ANC's youth wing until the party expelled him, he now leads the hard-left Economic Freedom Fighters party)[[/note]], who sings a song called "Shoot the Boer" at rallies[[note]]"Shoot the Boers, they are rapists, shoot them, the cowards ...". [[SarcasmMode Nice "reconciliation" there, buddy]].[[/note]]. Afrikaaner folk singer Bok van Blerk also stirred up controversy with several songs celebrating the Boer War and the Boer people's heroic doomed struggle with the British. These were seen by black politicians as coded incitements to the white race to rise up and restore UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra. One anthem celebrating [[UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar Boer War]] leader [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Hra8tZgEU&index=4&list=PLIa36ETako3MaZaw7-I0qEuflOniBvTWd Koos de la Rey]], with the chorus "who will lead the Boer people now?", was taken up as a rallying song by far-right nationalist and racist groups and was banned from SA radio and TV. Defenders of van Blerk pointed out he is no racist, and anyway they saw no sign of the "Kill the Boers!" song being banned from public performance as a racist incitement. Controversy continues. Recent years have also seen an upswing in xenophobic prejudice, the chief target of this being the refugees (although its debatable whether you can blame racism for the anti-refugee riots, seeing as in many cases the refugees and rioters were even from the same tribe)[[note]]There are several examples, but the one that comes to mind is the Shona, the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe.[[/note]].

The Republic of South Africa is a Southern African country situated at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin southern tip of Africa]] and comprises nine provinces. Bordering on Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini[[note]]formerly and possibly better known as Swaziland[[/note]], and completely surrounding Lesotho, it formed part of the British Commonwealth until it became a republic in 1961, but continued to implement the segregationist laws collectively known as the Apartheid system until 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the country's first democratic elections. Its capital cities are Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, which are recognized respectively as the executive, judicial and legislative capitals (i.e., a separate city for each branch of government). [[note]] Contrary to popular belief, Johannesburg is not a national capital, but the capital of Gauteng Province and the seat of the Constitutional Court. It is, however, very close to Pretoria.[[/note]]

The Republic of South Africa is a Southern African country situated at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin southern tip of Africa]] and comprises nine provinces. Bordering on Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini, and completely surrounding Lesotho, it formed part of the British Commonwealth until it became a republic in 1961, but continued to implement the segregationist laws collectively known as the Apartheid system until 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the country's first democratic elections. Its capital cities are Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, which are recognized respectively as the executive, judicial and legislative capitals (i.e., a separate city for each branch of government). [[note]] Contrary to popular belief, Johannesburg is not a national capital, but the capital of Gauteng Province and the seat of the Constitutional Court. It is, however, very close to Pretoria.[[/note]]

The concept of race in post-Apartheid South Africa is complex and fluid. In addition to black South Africans, which group comprises eighty percent of the total population and contains members of multiple ethnic origins and language groups, there is a considerable minority of white South Africans, who may be of Dutch, British, French Huguenot, Israeli, Greek, Portuguese or German descent, and who remain affected by the English/Afrikaans divide. There are also coloured [[note]]the term 'coloured' is not derogatory in South Africa. [[/note]] South Africans, who may be, inclusively, of white, black, Indonesian, Malaysian, Javanese, Arabic and/or Indian descent, and who have an extremely rich and diverse cultural heritage as a result, being mostly Afrikaans-speaking and having a high percentage of Muslims. There are also substantial immigrant groups of Indians, whose ancestors arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as migrant workers, and of people of Arabic descent, not to mention a Chinese population of around 100,000. There are also nearly 150,000 refugees, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa (and several million illegals); many come from UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}}. Contrary to the image most media would portray, racism is still widespread. Recent controversies surrounding racism include prominent politician Julius Malema[[note]](former leader of the ANC's youth wing until the party expelled him, he now leads the hard-left Economic Freedom Fighters party)[[/note]], who sings a song called "Shoot the Boer" at rallies[[note]]"Shoot the Boers, they are rapists, shoot them, the cowards ...". [[SarcasmMode Nice "reconciliation" there, buddy]].[[/note]]. Afrikaaner folk singer Bok van Blerk also stirred up controversy with several songs celebrating the Boer War and the Boer people's heroic doomed struggle with the British. These were seen by black politicians as coded incitements to the white race to rise up and restore UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra. One anthem celebrating Boer War leader Koos de la Rey, with the chorus "who will lead the Boer people now?", was taken up as a rallying song by far-right nationalist and racist groups and was banned from SA radio and TV. Defenders of van Blerk pointed out he is no racist, and anyway they saw no sign of the "Kill the Boers!" song being banned from public performance as a racist incitement. Controversy continues. Recent years have also seen an upswing in xenophobic prejudice, the chief target of this being the refugees (although its debatable whether you can blame racism for the anti-refugee riots, seeing as in many cases the refugees and rioters were even from the same tribe)[[note]]There are several examples, but the one that comes to mind is the Shona, the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe.[[/note]].

The Republic of South Africa is a Southern African country situated at the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin southern tip of Africa]] and comprises nine provinces. Bordering on Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and eSwatini, and completely surrounding Lesotho, it formed part of the British Commonwealth until it became a republic in 1961, but continued to implement the segregationist laws collectively known as the Apartheid system until 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the country's first democratic elections. Its capital cities are Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town, which are recognized respectively as the executive, judicial and legislative capitals (i.e., a separate city for each branch of government). [[note]] Contrary to popular belief, Johannesburg is not a national capital, but the capital of Gauteng Province and the seat of the Constitutional Court. It is, however, very close to Pretoria.[[/note]]