Ralph has gone on an overseas adventure to the continents of Africa and South America. Upon each of his visits to a different country, Ralph has written us a letter about his travels. However, Ralph has been quite 'Unreliable' again and has not told us the name of the country he is in. It is up to us to use the clues in the letter to try and find out where Ralph is.
UNRELIABLE RALPH ROAMs THE WORLD
South Africa
Did you know..............................
From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is full of wildlife. The country takes up only about one percent of Earth's land surface but is home to almost 10 percent of the world's known bird, fish, and plant species and about 6 percent of its mammal and reptile species.The seas around South Africa are also crowded with wildlife. About 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year.
Fast Facts
Official Name: Republic of South Africa
Form of Government: Republic
Capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
Population: 47,400,000
Official Languages: Afrikans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
Money: Rand
Area: 470,693 sq mi (1,219,089 sq km)
Major Mountain Ranges: Drakensberg
Major Rivers: Limpopo, Orange
GEOGRAPHY
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 snowcapped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation.
LANDSCAPE
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.
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 more than 11,400 feet (3,475 meters) high.Interestingly,
NATURE
From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is full of wildlife. The country takes up only about one percent of Earth's land surface, but is home to almost 10 percent of the world's known bird, fish, and plant species and about 6 percent of its mammal and reptile species.
The seas around South Africa are also crowded with wildlife. About 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year. There's also a world-famous sardine run off the east coast each June that draws thousands of hungry sharks, dolphins, and birds.
South Africa works to preserve its wildlife with 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 hurt by illegal hunting and loss of habitat, and dozens of species are in danger of extinction, including the black rhinoceros, the cheetah, and the African wild dog.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Many different peoples make up South Africa, each with their own language and history. The country has 11 official languages and many more unofficial ones. This colorful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname "rainbow nation."
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 becomes the first African nation to host the World Cup.
GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY
South Africa has been a democratic republic since holding its first truly open election on April 27, 1994. Natural resources, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing have made South Africa the largest economy on the continent. But problems with unemployment, poverty, and AIDS present huge challenges for the government.
CLIMATE
Although the country is classified as semi-arid, South Africa has considerable variation in climate as well as topography.
The great inland Karoo plateau, where rocky hills and mountains rise from sparsely populated scrubland, is very dry, and gets more so as it shades in the north-west towards the Kalahari desert. Extremely hot in summer, it can be icy in winter.
In contrast, the eastern coastline is lush and well watered, a stranger to frost. The southern coast, part of which is known as the Garden Route, is rather less tropical but also green, as is the Cape of Good Hope – the latter especially in winter.
This south-western corner of the country has a Mediterranean climate, with wet winters and hot, dry summers. Its most famous climatic characteristic is its wind, which blows intermittently virtually all year round, either from the south-east or the north- west.
The eastern section of the Karoo does not extend as far north as the western part, giving way to the flat landscape of the Free State, which though still semi-arid receives somewhat more rain.
North of the Vaal River, the Highveld is better watered, and saved by its altitude from subtropical extremes of heat. Winters are cold, though snow is rare.
Further north and to the east, especially where a drop in altitude beyond the escarpment gives the Lowveld its name, temperatures rise: the Tropic of Capricorn slices through the extreme north.
One of the coldest places in the country is Sutherland, in the western Roggeveld Mountains, with midwinter temperatures as low as -15ºC.
SUSTAINABILITY
South Africa is a water scarce country where the demand for water is in excess of natural water availability in several river basins.
The effects of variable rainfall patterns and different climatic regimes are compounded by high evaporation rates across the country.
As groundwater availability is limited by predominantly hard rock geology in South Africa, surface water is the more significant resource
In areas where groundwater is available, it is frequently over-exploited as, for instance
Social and demographic factors also contribute to water scarcity; one of these factors is, for instance, the distribution of significant settlements and industry adjacent to mineral deposits rather than water resources.
Water availability in South Africa has been assessed using WaterGAP and Figure 10 shows that many areas of South Africa experience severe water stress.
