Thailand

South Africa has one of the continent’s biggest and most developed economies. It is renowned for its great natural beauty, and cultural diversity, all of which have made the country a favoured destination for travellers since the legal ending of apartheid. 

Until 1994, it was ruled by a white minority government, which enforced a separation of races with its policy called apartheid.

The apartheid government eventually negotiated itself out of power after decades of international isolation, armed opposition and mass protests.

The democratically-elected leadership encouraged reconciliation and set about redressing social imbalances, but the economy has struggled.

• Capital: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
• Area: 1,221,037 sq km
• Population: 60.6 million
• Languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Swazi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, Ndebele
• Life expectancy: 60 years (men) 67 years (women)