Population: 42,718,530

Location: Southern tip of Africa

Languages : Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.

Religion: Christian, Hindu, Indigenous religions and Islam

Capital city: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial)

Literacy Rate: 86%

Life Expectancy: 42.7 years

Interesting facts: The early history of South Africa begins with the San people who are beieved to be the first to settle the area. They were followed by the Bantu-speaking peoples who moved south into the region.

From Shaka Zulu to Nelson Mandela, South Africa has produced some of the best known and arguably strongest leadership in African history. This though, did not prevent it from being put through one of the world’s most extreme examples of racism and lack of respect for humanity. Europeans came to South Africa in great numbers after diamonds and gold were discovered there in 1897. They created Apartheid (racial separation) which forced over 1.5 million Africans to live in townships in abject poverty under repressive laws. In 1993, Apartheid was dismantled. In 1994, Mandela won a landslide election and became president.

Today, South Africa is working to overcome poverty and its serious HIV-AIDS epidemic. It’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee is also working to build a bridge between those who committed human rights violations under Apartheid and their victims.

Products:

We have been offering Zulu products from South Africa for years now including jewelry, special finds and clothing. At the moment, you can find Zulu art at the Special Finds Stand.

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