CRUISING AROUND SOUTH AFRICA 2016-17: Getting to Know the Land and its People (Traveler’s Companion Series 2 Book 3) (English Edition)

South Africa is a land of superlatives. This is the most geographically spectacular country on the continent of Africa. Its rugged coastline, gentle interior valleys of the Wine Country, towering cliffs of the Drakensberg and windswept grasslands of the high Veld provide for great landscape diversity. The human landscape is also very diverse thanks to its long history of Bantu, Dutch and English settlement. South Africa is the most economically advanced and diverse of all the sub Saharan countries on the continent. But for centuries it suffered from white imposed racial segregation that reached its peak of indignity under the Apartheid Laws enacted in 1948. Decades of struggle by the black community finally led to universal suffrage in 1991, and today Apartheid is nothing but a bad memory. Thanks to the brilliant leadership of Nelson Mandela, the country emerged from white dominated rule without a "blood bath" and there has been forgiveness and true cultural integration. The next big obstacle to be overcome is economic disparity between the larger black majority and the small white minority. But a black middle class is slowly emerging and the country shows hope for a better future. The government and people place great emphasis upon education, which will benefit all. Crime is still a problem in the urban centers, and this often scares potential visitors. This book will dispel many of the myths of life in South Africa. It will introduce you to all the ports of call, and also to the great high Veld with its major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. And since many cruise ships also visit neighboring Namibia, there are three chapters on that country. And it has all been updated for the 2016-17 cruise season.