South Africa has 11 official languages, though most people can speak English. Afrikaans and Xhosa are also widely spoken in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
About 3.5-million people live in Cape Town, South Africa's second most-populated city.
Cape Town has a climate similar to that of California and the Mediterranean. Winter starts in May and ends in September and is generally a wet and windy season. Temperatures are cool and end to range between 7°C (45°F) and 17°C (63°F). Summer lasts from November to March and temperatures range between 19°C (66°F) and 35°C (95°F). The summer season is usually hot and sunny. It can be windy, but it doesn’t bring much rain.
33°55'31''S, 18°25'26''E
The currency is the rand (ZAR). The South African exchange rate is favourable to most currencies, including the pound, euro and dollar. Most restaurants, shops and hotels accept international credit cards. Value added tax, or VAT, is 14% and is included in the price of all items, but can be claimed by foreign visitors when leaving the country.
South Africa is a large country, of 2 455km2 (948mi2).
Mayor of Cape Town: Patricia de Lille (Democratic Alliance) Premier of the Western Cape: Helen Zille (Democratic Alliance) Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa South Africa's Parliament sits in Cape Town