 | South Africa General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 433 |  |
Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (433) The Yellowwood family is primeval and has been present in this part of Africa for more than 100 million years. The species is widespread and is found from Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg up to the Soutpansberg and the Blouberg in the Northern Province.
In forests they can grow up to 40 metres in height with the base of the trunk sometimes up to 3 metres in diameter. In contrast, trees that grow in unsheltered places like mountain-slopes, are often short, bushy and gnarled. The bark of the Real Yellowwood is khaki-coloured to grey when it is old, deeply split and peels off in strips. The crown is relatively small in relation to its height and is often covered with grey lichen. Male and female cones resemble pine cones and are white, light green or pink. The female cone has a fleshy podocarpium on which the seed, which takes on the shape and colour of a cherry, develops. Leave a Comment |
The Hottentot word for this place "Karoo" (a thirstland) perfectly describes this arid area of low rainfall, meagre vegetation and haunting rock outcrops.
It's a remote, moody and lonely - but absolutely extraordinary landscape and any time spent here will have you touching parts of your soul you don't often access. Leave a Comment |
The administrative capital of South Africa and home to most embassies, Pretoria is considered by many to be Joıburgıs safer sister. Truth is, theyıre like chalk and cheese.
Pretoria is home to the Voortrekker Monument and, by implication, Afrikaans culture. There are some major universities and a thriving alternative art and culture scene. Leave a Comment |
The national flag was designed by a former South African State Herald, Mr Fred Brownell, and was first used on 27 April 1994. The design and colours are a synopsis of principal elements of the country's flag history. Individual colours, or colour combinations were different meanings for different people and therefore no universal symbolism should be attached to any of the colours.
The central design of the flag, beginning at the flagpost in a "V" form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity. The theme of convergence and unity ties in with the motto "Unity is Strength" of the previous South African Coat of Arms. Leave a Comment |
The open plains of the Free State stretch between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in the south. To the east the land rises to the highlands and the mountains of Lesotho. This wealthy province boasts gold and diamond mines as well as fertile farmlands. Leave a Comment |
This elegant crane, that stands about one meter high, is almost entirely restricted to South Africa in its distribution. The Blue Crane is a light blue-grey, has a long neck supporting a rather bulbous head, long legs and elegant wing plumes which sweep to the ground. It eats seeds, insects and reptiles. Blue Cranes lay their eggs in the bare veld, often close to water. They are quite common in the Karoo, but are also seen in the grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal and the highveld, usually in pairs or small family parties.
The Blue Crane has a distinctive rattling croak, 'kraaaarrrk', fairly high-pitched at call, which can be heard from far away. It is, however, usually quiet.
The habitat of the Blue Crane is open grass fields or Karoo-like plains with low shrubby bushes. It likes wet parts and lays its two eggs on the ground. It grazes in the field and eats seeds, insects and small reptiles. Leave a Comment |
This is a wilderness where man is a part of the landscape, not it's unordained boss. Rolling green hills are met by sky-sized bursts of cloudbreak and patches of brilliant blue, the hillsides littered with sheep, goats, cows and pin pricks of mud huts. Leave a Comment |
1.South Africa produces the cheapest electricity in the world.
2.The Cape Floral Kingdomis the smallest in size.
It compromises 0.04% of the earth's land mass yet contains 10% of all plant species in the world.
Table Mountain alone has over 1,400 different species of plants more than the entire British Isles.
3.Johannesburg is the second largest city in the world that is not on the coast or a major river.
It is larger than both London and New York and yet the city does not have a grid network of roads.
4.South Africa has the oldest meteorite site in the world, which is almost 2 billion years old - that is half as old as the planet.
5.South Africa was the first country to protect the white shark.
6.The Kimberley Hole is the largest man made hole in the world.
Over a period of 40years miners dug a hole 800 m deep and removed almost 3 tons of diamonds from the earth.
South Africa is not only the largest producer of diamonds in the world, but also the largest producer of gold,platinum,manganese, vanadium and chrome ore.
7.South Africa has the second highest waterfall in the world (Tugela Falls) and the third biggest canyon (The Blyde River Canyon).
8.South Africa is the only country in which two Noble Peace price winners live on the same street!
Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both lived in Vilakazi street in Soweto. Leave a Comment |
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A variety of petrol (gas) stations are situated on both main and country roads. Most of them are open 24 hours a day, although some keep shorter hours. However, distances between towns (and therefore between petrol stations) can be considerable, so it is advisable to fill up your tank before it starts giving warning signals.
South African petrol stations are not self-help: an attendant will fill the car, check oil and water and tire pressure and, if necessary, clean the windscreen – for which he or she will expect a tip of two or three rand. Leave a Comment |
Our road infrastructure is excellent, so driving is a viable option, but South Africa is a huge country not easily traversed in a day, so plan your journeys carefully. If you're not used to driving long distances, rather break the journey, as fatigue is a major contributing factor in motor vehicle accidents. Leave a Comment |
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on April 7, 2004
