Republic of South Africa

As the name implies, South Africa is a country situated in the southern-most part of the African continent. It is bordered by Rhodesia, Tanzania and the Ethiopian Empire. It is played by RisingTempest.

The Republic of South Africa is the worlds newest emerging power in Africa. After the collapse of the British colonial forces the people of South Africa elected a series of well managed government who have managed to set South Africa on the road to greatness. It is only a matter of time before South Africa becomes one of the worlds leading economic and military powers.

History
The Republic of South Africa, born 1971, swept into the greater New Africa in 1976 and returned to the Republic of South Africa less then six months later. It is a long tale in the telling but a history well worth reading.

July 23, 1971, South African citizens, white and black, rise in open rebellion against the British Empire. Aided by the Ethiopian airforce they are able to force their British colonial masters into the sea and so realize their dream of a free and independent South Africa. Like all such nations though, as soon as the greater enemy had gone the various rebellious factions turned on each other.

A year of vicious civil war would follow in which two major powers were born within South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC), and the Afrikana Nationalist Party (ANP). The remainder of 1971, and most of 1972, was a bloody conflict that left nearly 500,000 dead and over two million refugees. It was only the threat of Spanish expansion that managed to reconcile the two groups and for the first time in their history, South Africans went to the poles. Everyone expected a landslide ANC victory but to everyones surprise the ANP triumphed with just over 52% of the popular vote. What was even more surprising was the grace with which the ANC took its defeat.

The following years passed with many trials for the new nation and in 1976 the people of South Africa elected William Cody as their new president. Some argue it was rigged, others suggest he was simply the best of bad choices. Some marked the rise of another man to the head of the rival ANC, one Paul Redekker.

Following a surprise visit by the Emperor of Ethiopia, South Africa found itself nearly doubled in size with the inclusion of Angola into the Republic and a willing puppet of the Ethiopian regime. President Cody declared the state to be a New Africa but it would not last.

Opponents spoke out against the alliance, stating that South Africa was in no position to ally itself with Ethiopia, a nation verging on war with Spain. Cody made the mistake of hotly stating that the people "Should do what is best for them, they are sheep and I will be their shepard".

President Codys popularity plummeted overnight and the ANC was able to force a vote of no-confidence against the Presidents administration. Elections were held a week later and the ANC, headed by the fiery and passionate Paul Redekker, swept the ANP from power with 75% of the popular vote. Wary of offending the powerful Ethiopian Empire however he never promised to retreat from the alliance but rather promised to do everything in his power to prevent South Africa being drawn into any war.

Political Parties
The Republic of South Africa has a vast number of political parties that would like to gain power in the country but for the moment only two parties have a generous enough following to run for office.

The African National Congress (ANC) is the current ruling party. The vast majority of its supporters are primarily black South Africans. It currently holds 75% of the popular vote.

The Afrikana Nationalist Party (ANP) is the opposition. They hold virtually the entire white vote and prior to the 1976 election they ruled with a 55% majority. This came to an end in '76 after some poorly made comments by the president at the time that allowed the ANC to force a vote of no-confidence and bring down the government. It is looking to regain popular support.

South Africa is feircely anti-Communist and beginning to show signs of intense Nationalism following a government program to retrain its youth and destroy traditional tribal divisions.

Foreign Relations
The Republic of South Africa is virtually isolationist, focusing on its internal problems rather then helping any other nation. It is however part of the African Central Entente, a mutual defence alliance headed by the Empire of Ethiopia.

South Africa has few connections outside of Africa and to date has made no attempts to change that.

Leadership
The Republic of South Africa is governed by the recently elected Paul Redekker. A Zulu by birth and a South African by nation he is a massive man in both physical size and precense. He is faced with the monumental task of balancing white fears with black aspirations at a time when South Africa desperatly needs economic reform and growth.

Vice-President Nelson Mandela is the man to whom all South Africans look for inspiration, for the true story of success, from rags to government. Although older then his President he has shown no interest in moving beyond an advisor role and works closely with his superior. One of the chief supporters of white/black integration and equality he is also the loudest supporter of preserving whites in their jobs and homes.

Natural Resources
South Africa is home to enough natural resources to keep industry busy for ten thousand years. This includes, though is not limited to; petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, gold, tobacco products and sugar to name a few. Most of these are mined or harvested by private companies.

Industry
Industry in South Africa is slowly climbing out of its slump following the withdrawal of the British in 1971. Industries that have seen substantial growth are mining, farming, automobile manufacturing and weapons production.

Private industry in South Africa is heavily regulated and the goverenment owns 51% of every company within the Republic though their fair treatment of owners has led to investment despite government stock control.

Taxation
Taxes in South Africa are amongst the highest in the world, ranging from 25-52%, but this means free education and health care for all. Taxes vary based on personal income as well, with the wealthy paying even more then your average citizen.

Geography
Like much of the African continent, South Africa features a landscape dominated by a high plateau in the interior, surrounded by a narrow strip of coastal lowlands. Unlike most of Africa, however, the perimeter of South Africa's inland plateau rises abruptly to form a series of mountain ranges before dropping to sea level. These mountains, known as the Great Escarpment, vary between 2,000 meters and 3,300 meters in elevation. The coastline is fairly regular and has few natural harbors. Each of the dominant land features—the inland plateau, the encircling mountain ranges, and the coastal lowlands—exhibits a wide range of variation in topography and in natural resources.

The interior plateau consists of a series of rolling grasslands (veld in Afrikaans), arising out of the Kalahari Desert in the north. The largest sub-region in the plateau is the 1,200-meter to 1,800-meter-high central area known as the Highveld. The Highveld stretches from Western Cape Province to the northeast, encompassing the entire Free State (formerly the Orange Free State). In the north it rises into a series of rock formations known as the Witwatersrand (literally, "Ridge of White Waters" in Afrikaans, commonly shortened to Rand). The Rand is a ridge of gold-bearing rock, roughly 100 kilometers by thirty-seven kilometers, that serves as a watershed for numerous rivers and streams. It is also the site of the world's largest proven gold deposits and the country's leading industrial city, Johannesburg.

North of the Witwatersrand is a dry savanna subregion, known as the Bushveld, characterized by open grasslands with scattered trees and bushes. Elevation varies between 600 meters and about 900 meters above sea level. The Bushveld, like the Rand, houses a virtual treasure chest of minerals, one of the largest and best known layered igneous (volcanic) mineral complexes in the world. Covering an area roughly 350 kilometers by 150 kilometers, the Bushveld has extensive deposits of platinum and chromium and significant reserves of copper, fluorspar, gold, nickel, and iron.

Along the northern edge of the Bushveld, the plains rise to a series of high plateaus and low mountain ranges, which form the southern edge of the Limpopo River Valley in Northern Province. These mountains include the Waterberg and the Strypoortberg ranges, and, in the far north, the Soutpansberg Mountains. The Soutpansberg range reaches an elevation of 1,700 meters before dropping off into the Limpopo River Valley and the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Kruger National Park, which is known for its diverse terrain and wildlife, abuts most of the north-south border with Mozambique.

West of the Bushveld is the southern basin of the Kalahari Desert, which borders Namibia and Botswana at an elevation of 600 meters to 900 meters. Farther south, the Southern Namib Desert stretches south from Namibia along the Atlantic coastline. Between these two deserts lies the Cape Middleveld subregion, an arid expanse of undulating plains that sometimes reaches an elevation of 900 meters. The Cape Middleveld is also characterized by large depressions, or "pans," where rainfall collects, providing sustenance for a variety of plants and animals.

The southern border of the Highveld rises to form the Great Escarpment, the semicircle of mountain ranges roughly paralleling South Africa's coastline. The Drakensberg Mountains, the country's largest mountain range, dominate the southern and the eastern border of the Highveld from the Eastern Cape province to the border with Swaziland. The highest peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal exceed 3,300 meters and are even higher in Lesotho, which is known as the "Mountain Kingdom."

The highest peaks in the nation not part of the Drakensberg Escarpment are located in the Karoo range in the southwestern part of the country. The two highest peaks in the Karoo are Compassberg and Seweweekspoortpiek, with summit elevations of 2,504 metres (8,215 ft) and 2,325 metres (7,628 ft) respectively.

In the west and the southwest, the Cape Ranges, the country's only "fold mountains"--formed by the folding of the continental crust—form an "L," where the north-south ranges meet several east-west ranges. The north-south Cape Ranges, paralleling the Atlantic coastline, include the Cedarberg Mountains, the Witsenberg Mountains, and the Great Winterhoek Mountains, and have peaks close to 2,000 meters high. The east-west ranges, paralleling the southern coastline, include the Swartberg Mountains and the Langeberg Mountains, with peaks exceeding 2,200 meters.

The Cape Ranges are separated from the Highveld by a narrow strip of semidesert, known as the Great Karoo (Karoo is a Khoisan term for "land of thirst"). Lying between 450 meters and 750 meters above sea level, the Great Karoo is crossed by several rivers that have carved canyons and valleys in their southward descent from the Highveld into the ocean. Another narrow strip of arid savanna lies south of the Great Karoo, between the Swartberg Mountains and the Langeberg Mountains. This high plain, known as the Little Karoo, has a more temperate climate and more diverse flora and fauna than the Great Karoo.

The narrow coastal strip between the Great Escarpment and the ocean, called the Lowveld, varies in width from about sixty kilometers to more than 200 kilometers. Beyond the coastline, the continental shelf is narrow in the west but widens along the south coast, where exploitable deposits of oil and natural gas have been found. The south coast is also an important spawning ground for many species of fish that eventually migrate to the Atlantic Ocean fishing zones.

The cold Benguela current sweeps up from the Antarctic along the Atlantic coast, laden with plankton and providing rich fishing-grounds. The east coast has the north-to-south Mozambique/Agulhas Current, which provides warm waters. These two currents have a major effect on the country's climate, the ready evaporation of the eastern seas providing generous rainfall while the Benguela current retains its moisture to cause desert conditions in the west.

Religion
The Republic of South Africa has no official religion. Most people within the Republic hold onto their tribal routes though Protestant Christianity is prevelant amongst the white population.

Language
There are hundreds of different dialects to be heard throughout the country but only three are officially recognized by the government. All civil employees and all members of the armed forces are required to learn them.

Afrikaans, English and IsiZulu

Health Care
The Republic of South Africa offers publically funded health care to all of its citizens. This means that your average citizen does not need to pay to see a doctor nor to access health care as hospitals or medical clinics. The Government also provides travelling rural doctors.

Media
The South African Broadcasting Corporation is the largest broadcasting firm in the country is 100% owned by the South African public. There are a few smaller fledging organizations but the majority of all papers, radio and TV is produced by the SABC.

Sports
South Africans enjoy a wide variety of sports in their personal lives. Professional sports are still a dream though the Republic does boast an impressive amatuer Rugby team that plays on a national level.

Education
Education in the Republic of South Africa is 100% funded by the government for everyone up to grade 12. Those looking to go beyond grade 12 are required to pay for their own education, though they have access to student loands, if they achieve an average of B+ or higher their education is covered. Those who reach into the A's also recieve a cash bonus from the government.

Tribal identitiy is slowly being absorbed and replaced by national identity through the indoctrination and re-education of all young males upon the event of their 18th birthday.

South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force (SADF) is the nations elite military force that comprises part of the Army and all of the Navy and Airforce. Originally an Afrikana only force it has come to integrate both blacks and whites under the leadership of their Chief of Defence Staff, General Thomas Clarkson.

South African National Army
The South African National Army (SANA) is the Republics conscript military force. All South African males are required to join the SANA following their 18th birthday. They must serve two years and then have the option to continue serving their country in either the SANA or the SADF.