South Africa

Introduction
South Africa has had a long history of colonialization. It started when Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a rest point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. The British would seize the Cape and many of the Dutch settler would move north.

In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority.T

The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ended apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government.

Environment
South Africa is a part of many pro environmntal treaties and is a leader in Africaon the issue.

These include:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Languages
South Africa is home to many langueages, representing the nations long history of dfferent peoples.

IsiZulu (official) 23.82%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.64%, Afrikaans (official) 13.35%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.39%, English (official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.93%, Xitsonga (official) 4.44%, siSwati (official) 2.66%, Tshivenda (official) 2.28%, isiNdebele (official) 1.59%, other 0.5% (2001 census)

Religions
South Africa is home to a diverse amount of religions.

Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

Economy
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources. It has  well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, and a stock exchange that is the 18th largest in the world.

The country exports: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment.