South Africa History and Culture

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA The Republic of South Africa takes up an area of 1, 221, 037 square kilometers, equal to the combined land mass of GERMANY, FRANCE, AND ITALY. The coast line of South Africa stretches for 2, 954 kilometers. Approximately 44 million people live in South Africa.

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has 11 official languages, with ENGLISH being the most commonly spoken. 9 provinces make up South Africa and there are 3 capital cities: CAPE TOWN, PRETORIA, AND JOHANNESBURG. Of the population in South Africa, 77 percent of the population are black, 10 percent are white, and 8 percent are mixed of INDIAN or ASIAN descent.

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA The most widely recognized religion in South Africa is CHRISTIANITY, while 21 percent have no religious affiliation, and most of the rest of the population are JEWISH and MUSLIM. About 20 percent of the world’s gold is mined in South Africa. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners is Soweto---NELSON MANDELA and ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU both have houses on the same street.

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA Four of the five fastest land animals in the world live in Africa: the CHEETAH (at 70 miles an hour), and the WILDEBEEST, LION, and THE THOMSON’S GAZELLE (all about 50 mph). The current leader of South Africa is THABO MBEKI, who has been president since 1999.

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA Only 12 countries in the world have tap water that is fit to drink and South Africa is one of them; they rank 3RD in the world in clean water.

FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA The world’s largest diamond, the CULLINAN, was found in South Africa in It weighed 3, carats uncut. Stones from this huge diamond are now part of England’s BRITISH CROWN JEWELS. A VELDT is an open plain where grasses, shrubs, and small trees are the only objects to be seen.

The Veldt Quiz 1.Give one thing that the Happy Life Home does to make life easier for humans. 2.Which one of the parents was the first one to express concern about the nursery? 3.Why does Lydia want to shut off the house at first? 4.What is the one main reason that George is concerned about his children creating Africa in their nursery? 5.Why does George think that the nursery is broken?

The Veldt Quiz 6. What is the one time that George and Lydia told the children no? 7. What two objects are found in the nursery with saliva and blood on them? 8. What famous mythological figure does the psychologist compare the parents to? Who does he say that they then changed into that caused the children’s behavior problems?

The Veldt Quiz 9. What does it seem like the house is full of when George turns off all the machines? 10. Where is George planning to take his family? 11. How do the children trick their parents into the nursery?

The Veldt Quiz 12. Why did the screams from the nursery sound so familiar? 13. What did the psychologist find the children doing when he came to the house?