South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is a country located at the

southern tip of Africa. It has 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline that stretches alon the
!outh Atlantic and Indian oceans.
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%o the north lie the neih&ourin countries
of 'ami&ia, (ots)ana and *im&a&)e+ to the east are ,o-am&i.ue and !)a-iland+ and
)ithin it lies /esotho, an encla0e surrounded &y !outh African territory.
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!outh Africa is
the 21th2larest country in the )orld &y land area, and )ith close to 13 million people, is the
)orld3s 21th2most populous nation.
!outh Africa is a multiethnic society encompassin a )ide 0ariety of cultures, lanuaes, and
reliions. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution3s reconition of 11 official
lanuaes, )hich is amon the hihest num&er of any country in the )orld.
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%)o of these
lanuaes are of 4uropean oriin5 4nlish and Afrikaans, the latter oriinatin
from6utch and ser0in as the first lanuae of most )hite and coloured !outh Africans.
%houh 4nlish is commonly used in pu&lic and commercial life, it is only the fourth most2
spoken first lanuae.
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A&out 8$ percent of !outh Africans are of &lack African ancestry,
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di0ided amon a 0ariety of
ethnic roups speakin different (antu lanuaes, nine of )hich ha0e official status.
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%he
remainin population consists of Africa3s larest communities
of 4uropean ()hite), Asian (Indian), and multiracial (coloured) ancestry. All ethnic and
linuistic roups ha0e political representation in the country3s constitutional democracy,
)hich comprises a parliamentary repu&lic and nine pro0inces. !outh Africa is often referred
to as the 78ain&o) 'ation,7 a term coined &y Arch&ishop 6esmond %utu and later adopted
&y then29resident 'elson ,andela as a metaphor to descri&e the country3s ne)ly de0elopin
multicultural di0ersity in the )ake of sereationist apartheid ideoloy.
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%he country is one of the fe) in Africa ne0er to ha0e had a coup d3:tat, and reular
elections ha0e &een held for almost a century+ ho)e0er, the 0ast ma;ority of &lack !outh
Africans )ere not enfranchised until 199<. 8acial strife &et)een the )hite minority and the
&lack ma;ority has played a lare part in the country3s recent history and politics. Apartheid
)as instituted in 19<8 &y the 'ational 9arty, thouh racial sereation e=isted prior to that
date. 6iscriminatory la)s &ean to &e repealed or a&olished from 199$ on)ards after a lon
and sometimes 0iolent strule &y the African 'ational >onress and other anti2apartheid
acti0ists.