Exploring South African Cultures
South Africa includes many ethnic groups, each proud of its language, traditions, and religious beliefs. It is approximately twice the size of the state of Texas, and its landscape primarily savannah and semidesert. Plants and wildlife contribute to the country’s natural beauty.
Eighty percent of South Africa’s population is comprised of black Africans, mostly from nine ethnic groups. The Zulus are the largest, followed by the Xhosas. Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first post-apartheid president, was a firm believer in the Bantu word ubuntu, which can be defined as “humanity,” and derives from the Zulu phrase Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, literally meaning “A person is a person through other people.”