November 7-17, 2024
South Africa
Johannesburg, Pilanesberg, and Cape Town South Africa
Extension November 17-20 to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; and Chobe, Botswana
South Africa has a population of 60 million people. South Africa loves variety; the largest city is Johannesburg. South Africa has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. The most spoken first languages are Zulu (isiZulu - 23%), Xhosa (isiXhosa - 16.0%), and Afrikaans (13.4%). The most important religions in South Africa are various branches of Christianity (80%).
In 1960, 70 black protesters were killed during a peaceful demonstration in Sharpesville. The African National Congress (ANC), the principal antiapartheid organization, was banned that year, and in 1964 its leader, Nelson Mandela, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Black protests against apartheid grew stronger and more violent. In 1976, an uprising in the black township of Soweto spread to other black townships and left 600 dead. Beginning in the 1960s, international opposition to apartheid intensified. Apartheid's grip on South Africa began to give way when F. W. de Klerk replaced P. W. Botha as president in 1989. De Klerk removed the ban on the ANC and released its leader, Nelson Mandela, after 27 years of imprisonment.
Today, South Africa is a parliamentary republic. It is known for being the strongest economy in Africa, but it is also outstanding in representing the abundance and variety of African plant and animal wildlife. The country is considered third in biodiversity, after the much bigger countries of Brazil and Indonesia. South Africa is full of history, culture, and diversity. Join us as we share this beautiful country with you. Also as an extension, we are spending 3 days in Zimbabwe and Botswana, where you can experience Victoria Falls and the Chobe National Park.
