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For the first time traveler to Africa, South Africa is great place to start: the infrastructure is very good, the climate is kind and there are few better places to see Africa's wildlife. However, if you want to understand the country, you will have to deal with the full spectrum South Africa dishes up, and it's not always from one side of the rainbow to the other. The segregation of society is still extreme and the crime rates in some areas call for caution, but South Africa's natural beauty and nation-building enthusiasm make it a great place to visit.
South Africa is a big wallop of a country, extending nearly 2000 km. from the Limpopo River in the north to Cape Agulhas in the south and nearly 1500 km. from Port Nolloth in the west to Durban in the east. Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland run from west to east along South Africa's northern border and Lesotho soars above the grassland towards the southeast. The country can be divided into three major parts: the vast interior plateau (the highveld), the Great Escarpment at its edge (the Kalahari Basin), and a narrow coastal plain (the
lowveld).
Its position just south of the Tropic of Capricorn makes South Africa a mostly dry and sunny place but the climate is moderated by its topography and the surrounding oceans. The further east you go, the handier your raingear becomes, but there are also damp pockets in the southwest, particularly around Cape Town. The coast north from the Cape becomes progressively drier and hotter, culminating in the desert region just south of Namibia. Along the south coast, the weather is temperate but the east coast becomes increasingly tropical the further north you go. When it gets too sticky, head for the highlands, which are pleasant even in summer. The northeastern hump gets very hot and there are spectacular storms here in summer. In winter, the days are sunny and warm.
When it comes to land mammals, South Africa hogs the superlatives: it has got the biggest (the African elephant), the smallest (the pygmy shrew), the tallest (the giraffe) and the fastest (the cheetah). The country is also home to the last substantial populations of black and white rhinos - with horns intact. You are most likely to encounter these critters in one of South Africa's national parks, but you should keep an eye out for lurking crocodiles in lowveld streams and rampaging hippos in the northern coastal regions. No slacker when it comes to bird life, South Africa is home to the ostrich (the world's largest bird), the Kori bustard (the largest flying bird), as well as sunbirds, flamingoes, and the sociable weaverbirds that live in 'cities' of woven
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