How many provinces are there in South Africa

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A.� Thanks to mickmac2000 for the question. As Horse has already pointed out, there are nine provinces: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, The Eastern Cape, The Free State, The Northern Cape, Northern Province and the Western Cape.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� More facts please.

A.� Certainly. The Republic of South Africa is the most southern country in Africa. It has two capital cities - Cape Town and Pretoria. Its population is 43.4 million.

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Q.� Climate

A.� South Africa is so large and with so many geographical features that it has a variety of climates. The Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate, Kwa-Zulu Natal is sub-tropical, Gauteng's central highveld is temperate and the karoo region is arid semi-desert.

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Q.� Brief history

A.� The British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, when many of the Dutch (Boer) settlers trekked north to form their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) increased immigration and intensified the subjugation of native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British advances, but were defeated in the second Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under the separate development of the races: Apartheid. Black majority rule came in the 1990s as apartheid was destroyed.

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Q.� Two main languages, I suppose

A.� You suppose wrong. South Africa has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu. English is spoken widely throughout the country.

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Q.� Any more

A.� Not provinces, but the Independent republic of Lesotho and Independent Swaziland exist within the countries borders.

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Q.� How's the South African economy doing since apartheid was overthrown

A.� It has all the opportunities to do exceptionally well - but investors lack confidence in the country.

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Q.� Why

��� �Thabo Mbeki

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Q.� Such as

A.� South Africa's economy is based largely on the abundant mineral and energy resources. Mining forms the basis for most of the manufacturing industry, and gold and diamonds dominate the export industry.

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Q.� Any other exports

A.� Asbestos, atomic fission and fusion, coal, cocoa beans and products, copper, diamonds, ferro-chromium, mineral products and sugar.

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Q.� So what problems must be sorted

A.� The Mbeki administration's confused policy on fighting Aids - which is rampant through South Africa - must be sorted out quickly. Unemployment - as high as 30% - and crime are hampering economic growth. Income disparities are also among the largest in the world. Further growth now depends on the South African government's goals of improving living conditions, cutting unemployment and unnecessary government spending and promoting exports. President Mbeki vowed to promote foreign investment by relaxing restrictive labour laws - but this has brought strong opposition from unions.

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By Steve Cunningham

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