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Our nation of over 47-million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and beliefs, comprises of about 79% black or African, 9% white, 9% 'coloured' people - the latter being a local label for people of mixed African, Asian and white descent, 2.5% Indian or Asian. Just over half the population live in the cities.
While there are 11 officially recognised languages, most of them indigenous to South Africa, you can expect to find people who speak or understand English no matter where you go in the country. English is the language of the cities, commerce and banking, government, road signs and official documents. Northern Europeans will find another of the languages, Afrikaans a derivative of Dutch, surprisingly easy to follow.
Two-thirds of South Africans are Christian, while many churches combine Christian and traditional African beliefs - many non-Christians espouse the traditional beliefs. Other religions include Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.
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