Apartheid and Nelson Mandela

The word “Apartheid” was an Afrikaner word meaning “separate”. While the white minority enjoyed a very high standard of living, the black majority had a lower income, poor housing, little education and low life expectancy. Apartheid was a system of government in South Africa before Nelson Mandela. Some countries were angry about it and imposed trade sanctions. Others ignored it.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. Nelson went to college and became a lawyer. He soon realized that the African National Party (ANP) was very cruel to black Africans. Nelson decided to try to change this. He joined a political party called  the African National Congress (ANC). He helped black people to protest about the situation, but he has was arrested and put in prison. In 1990, President de Klerk of South Africa ordered to free Nelson Mandela after 27 years. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize and then he became the first black African president of South Africa.

South Africa

Cape Town

Climate
South Africa has a great variety of climate zones. In the south west, the climate is Mediterranean, with warm summers and cool winters. In the desert regions, in the north, temperature can reach between 38-42°C. The mountainous areas have the coldest winters.

Produce
South Africa produces one fifth of the entire production of the African continent. It is the largest producer of gold in the world and has many valuable diamond mines. It is famous for its excellent wine. South Africa is the eighth-largest wine producer in the world.

People

Zulu children

The majority of the population of South Africa is black, but they come from a variety of different ethnic groups and speak many different languages. Some of these ethnic groups, for example the Zulu, are unique to South Africa. The white are descended mainly from Dutch, German, French and British people. They are divided into Afrikaners, who speak Afrikaans, and English speakers. A small part of the population describe themselves as Asian. They are mainly Indian in origin and are descended from the workers brought into South Africa to work on the sugar plantations in Natal.

Wildlife

Lion

Many tourists who come to South Africa come to see the wildlife. There are many parks in South Africa where you can see wild animals including zebras, giraffes, monkeys, lions and hippos. The Kruger National Park is bigger than the country of Wales and it’s got numerous species.