Discover the wonders of this incredible country!
探索这个不可思议的国家的奇迹！
We're off to a place bursting with wonderful wildlife, rich culture and mind-blowing history! Check out our fascinating facts about South Africa…
我们要去一个有着美妙的野生动物，丰富的文化和令人惊叹的历史的地方！看看我们关于南非的迷人的事实。
Facts about South Africa
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of South Africa
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic
CAPITALS: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
POPULATION: 55, 489, 975
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Afrikans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
MONEY: Rand
AREA: 1,219,089 square kilometres
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Drakensberg
MAJOR RIVERS: Limpopo, Orange
关于南非的事实
正式名称：南非共和国
政府形式：共和国
首都：比勒陀利亚（行政）、开普敦（立法）、布隆方丹（司法）
人口：5548975
官方语言：南非荷兰语、英语、伊辛德贝勒语、伊希索萨语、伊西祖鲁语、北索托语、塞索托语、茨瓦纳语、西斯瓦蒂语、茨欣文达语、西斯松加语
货币：兰特
面积：1219089平方公里
主要山脉：德拉肯斯堡
主要河流：林波波河、奥兰治
Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains, called bushveld.
南非的大部分景观都是由高原组成的。这些土地覆盖着起伏的草原，被称为高地，树木点缀的平原，被称为灌木丛。
To the east, south and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range, called the Drakensberg or Dragon's Mountain, is filled with jagged peaks, some reaching more than 3,475 meters high!
在高原的东、南、西是一个叫做大悬崖的山区。东部山脉被称为德拉肯斯堡（Drakensberg）或龙山（Dragon's Mountain），到处是参差不齐的山峰，有的山峰高达3475米以上！
It might sound strange, but did you know South Africa has another country within its borders? Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snow-capped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation. Also known as the "Kingdom of the Sky", Lesotho is the only country in the world to lie entirely over 1,000m above sea level.
听起来可能有点奇怪，但你知道南非境内有另一个国家吗？坐落在德拉肯斯堡的是多山的莱索托王国。南非的大部分水来自这个内陆小国的雪峰。莱索托又被称为"天空王国"，是世界上唯一一个海拔超过1000米的国家。
South Africa's wildlife and nature
南非的野生动物和自然
From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is bursting with wonderful wildlife! Although the country only makes up about one percent of the Earth's land surface, it's home to almost ten percent of the world's known bird, fish and plant species, and about six percent of its mammal and reptile species.
从土豚到斑马，南非到处都是美丽的野生动物！尽管这个国家只占地球陆地表面的1%，但它拥有世界上近10%的已知鸟类、鱼类和植物物种，以及大约6%的哺乳动物和爬行动物物种。
The seas around South Africa are also full of incredible creatures – in fact, around 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year.
南非周围的海洋也充满了令人难以置信的生物——事实上，大约2000种海洋物种在一年中的某个时候造访南非水域。
What's more, this magnificent country gets to enjoy one of nature's most spectacular underwater events, the "sardine run"! Every June, millions of sardines travel up the east coast, creating a phenomenal feeding frenzy for thousands of hungry sharks, dolphins and birds!
更重要的是，这个壮丽的国家可以享受大自然最壮观的水下活动之一"沙丁鱼赛跑"！每年6月，数以百万计的沙丁鱼沿着东海岸游走，为成千上万饥饿的鲨鱼、海豚和鸟类创造了惊人的摄食狂潮！
South Africa works hard to preserve its wildlife. There are dozens of protected land and marine areas, including the famous Kruger National Park in the north, as well as nearly 9,000 privately-owned game reserves throughout the country. Nevertheless, many of South Africa's animals are threatened by illegal hunting and habitat loss, and dozens of species are in danger of extinction – including the black rhinoceros, the cheetah and the African wild dog.
南非努力保护野生动物。包括北部著名的克鲁格国家公园在内的数十处陆地和海洋保护区，以及全国近9000个私人拥有的野生动物保护区，尽管如此，南非的许多动物仍受到非法捕猎和栖息地丧失的威胁，数十种物种面临灭绝的危险，包括黑犀牛、猎豹和非洲野狗。
South Africa's rhinos are one of the world's most endangered species
南非犀牛是世界上最濒危的物种之一
History of South Africa
南非历史
In northern South Africa near Johannesburg lies a cave formation called the Sterkfontein. Within these caves, archaeologists have uncovered some of the earliest human fossils ever found – some are more than two million years old! The fascinating find earned the region the nickname "Cradle of Humankind".
在南非北部约翰内斯堡附近有一个洞穴，叫做斯特克方丹。在这些洞穴中，考古学家发现了一些最早的人类化石，有些已经超过200万年了！这一迷人的发现使该地区赢得了"人类摇篮"的绰号。
About 24,000 years ago, tribes of hunter-gatherers known as the San, or Bushmen, began moving into South Africa. To this day, many San still live around the Kalahari Desert in the northwest, much as their ancestors did.
大约2.4万年前，被称为"桑"或"布须曼"的狩猎采集部落开始迁入南非。时至今日，许多桑人仍像他们的祖先一样生活在西北部的卡拉哈里沙漠周围。
In the 1400s, European ships heading to the Far East began stopping on the South African coast for supplies. In 1652, the Netherlands established the southern city of Cape Town, and Dutch farmers, called Boers, began settling in the areas around the city.
14世纪，前往远东的欧洲船只开始在南非海岸停靠补给。1652年，荷兰建立了开普敦南部城市，荷兰农民波尔开始在开普敦周围地区定居。
In 1806, wars in Europe left the British in control of the Cape Town colony. In 1910, the British united four colonies in the region and created South Africa. They established laws that separated whites from black South Africans, a practice of segregation called apartheid, which led to decades of conflict.
1806年，欧洲战争使英国人控制了开普敦殖民地。1910年，英国联合了该地区的四个殖民地，建立了南非。他们制定了将白人和南非黑人分开的法律，这种被称为种族隔离的隔离做法导致了数十年的冲突。
Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid revolutionary and the first black president of South Africa
纳尔逊·曼德拉是一位反种族隔离的革命者，也是南非第一位黑人总统
In 1963, Nelson Mandela, the head of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, was given a life sentence in jail for "terrorist" activities. In 1990, after 27 years behind bars, Mandela was freed by President F.W. de Klerk, and in 1994, he was elected president of South Africa. That same year, apartheid was officially abolished.
1963年，反种族隔离非洲国民大会主席纳尔逊·曼德拉因"恐怖"活动被判处无期徒刑。1990年，曼德拉被监禁27年后，被总统德克勒克释放，1994年当选南非总统。同年，种族隔离被正式废除。
South African people and culture
南非人民与文化
Many different peoples make up South Africa, each with their own language and history. The country has 11 official languages, and many more unofficial languages. This colourful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname "rainbow nation".
南非有许多不同的民族，每个民族都有自己的语言和历史。这个国家有11种官方语言，还有更多的非官方语言。这种丰富多彩的文化融合使南非有了"彩虹之国"的绰号。
South Africans are passionate about music, often using song and dance to express social and political ideas. They're also known worldwide for their skill in sports, including rugby, cricket, golf and soccer. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup. Goal!
南非人对音乐充满热情，经常用歌舞来表达社会和政治理念。他们也以运动技能闻名于世，包括橄榄球、板球、高尔夫和足球。2010年，南非成为第一个主办世界杯的非洲国家！