READING ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA 4ºB

South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent. South Africa also shares borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the North, and Mozambique in the East. 

In South Africa, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet off. South Africa has various mountain ranges and the grasslands. In the interior of the country, you will find a high plateau. 

The Kalahari Desert in the north is part of the highlands of the country. Johannesburg also lies on this plateau at 1,700m above sea level, but most of the bigger cities such as Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth, are located near the coast in low-lying areas.

The longest river in South Africa is the Orange River which forms also part of the border between Namibia from South Africa.

In the mountain ranges of the Drakensberg region, especially in the Lesotho mountains, there is snow in winter and you even could go skiing in South Africa.

Tugela Falls in South Africa are the second-highest waterfalls in the world.

Wildlife in South Africa is abundant. There are many species of antilope such as kudu, springbok, wildebeest, impala, oryx and gemsbok. When you go on safari you can see many other South African animals like lions, elephants, giraffes and monkeys.

South Africa is home to the African Penguins and the Great White Sharks. Sometimes beaches are closed for bathing due to the sharks in the bays. Many beaches have shark nets. Whale watching is very popular in South Africa too and you will encounter an enormous sea life in South Africa when you go on a boat trip.

South Africa is often called the 'Rainbow Nation', because there are so many different languages are spoken (11 languages) and different cultural traditions are lived.

The biggest South African population group, the Zulu, mainly live in rural settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, they even have a king. The South African president, Jacob Zuma, actually belongs to the Zulu leaders.

Nowadays most of the people in South Africa live in or near the big cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The rural areas are still very poor and also in the cities many people live in shantytowns or townships.

SOME CURIOSITIES:

…most people speak at least two or three languages, one of them usually English or Afrikaans

…South Africa has really three capital cities: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.

…Spain won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

QUESTIONS:

1.      What is the southern country of Africa?

2.      What two oceans meet off in South Africa?

3.      Where are most of the cities in South Africa?

4.      Do they have snow in South Africa? Where?

5.      What kind of animals can we see in South Africa?

6.      Why South Africa is called the Rainbow Nation?

7.      Are the Inuits the biggest South African population group?

8.      How many languages did the population of South Africa speak at least?

9.      How many cities does South Africa have?

10.  What happened in South Africa that was relevant to our country?