Africa facts and information

Capital city: Pretoria

Area: 1 219 912 km² / 471 011 square miles (five times larger than Great Britain and three times the size of Texas)

Population: 49.32 million

Time zone: GMT +2

Currency: South African Rand (ZAR)

Electricity: 230 - 240V

Geography: South Africa is flanked on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by the Indian Ocean, and boasts more than 2 500 km (1 500 miles) of coastline. The two oceans meet at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa. The terrain ranges from desert to green hills, mountain ranges, subtropical areas and sunny beaches.

Climate: Summer 18 - 29°C / 64 - 84°F; Winter 6 - 21° / 43 - 70°F

Language: South Africa has eleven official languages Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Except for deeply rural areas, most South Africans speak English.

Religion: Predominantly Christian, but also includes Muslim and Hindu.

Capital city: Gaborone

Area: 582 000 km² / 225 000 square miles

Population: 1.6 million

Time zone: GMT +2

Currency: Pula (BWP)

Electricity: 220V

Geography: Botswana consists mainly of semi-desert, with the notable exception of the famed Okavango Delta.

Climate: Summer 19 - 33°C / 66 - 91°F; Winter 5 - 23°C / 41 - 73°F

Language: English and Setswana

Religion: Predominantly Christian

Capital city: Windhoek

Area: 825 418 km² / 318 695 square miles

Population: 1.7 millionTime zone: GMT +1 April - August; GMT +2 September - March

Currency: Namibian dollar (NAD)Electricity: 220V

Geography: From sandy dunes to rocky canyons, Namibia is home to two deserts - the Namib and the Kalahari.

Climate: Summer 19 - 28°C / 66 - 82°F; Winter 14 - 24° / 57 - 75°F

Language: English is the official language; Shona and Ndebele are the first languages of 98% of the population

Religion: Predominantly Christian

Capital city: Harare

Area: 386 670 km² / 149 295 square miles

Population: 12.5 million

Time zone: GMT +2

Currency: The Zimbabwean dollar is the official currency (ZWD), although the US dollar is widely used in practice

Electricity: 220v

Geography: Landlocked country separated from Zambia by the Zambezi River, home to the famous Victoria Falls

Climate: Summer 16 - 27°C / 61 - 81°F; Winter 7 - 21°C / 45 - 70°F

Language: English is the official language; Shona and Ndebele are the first languages of 98% of the population

Religion: Predominantly Syncretic and Christian

Capital city: Lusaka

Area: 740 720 km² / 285 995 square miles

Population: 9.7 million

Time zone: GMT +2

Currency: Kwacha (ZMK)

Electricity: 220v  

Geography: Deciduous savannas, grassy plains and even rain forest in the areas around Victoria Falls.    

Climate: Summer 25 - 35°C / 77 - 95°F; Winter 6 - 24°C / 43 - 75°F

Language: English is the official language

Religion: Predominantly Christian

Capital city: Maputo

Area: 801 590 km² / 309 495 square miles

Population: 21.4 million

Time zone: GMT +2

Currency: Metical (MZN)

Electricity: 220 / 240 v

Geography: Wide coastal plains, mountains and plateaus with three major rivers and almost 2 500 km (1 500 miles) of coastline dotted with islands

Climate: Summer 21 - 29°C / 70 - 84°F; Winter 19 - 27°C / 66 - 81°F

Language: Portuguese is the official language

Religion: Predominantly traditional beliefs, followed by Christianity

Capital city: Nairobi

Area: 582 650 km² / 224 960 square miles

Population: 30.8 million

Time zone: GMT +3

Currency: Kenyan shilling (KES)

Electricity: 240v

Geography: Low coastal plains and central highlands bisected by the Great Rift Valley  

Climate: Summer 16 – 33°C / 61 - 91°F; Winter 15 – 30°C / 59 - 86°F 

Language: Swahili is the official language, but English is widely spoken

Religion: Predominantly Christian, but also Muslim

Capital city: Dodoma  

Area: 945 087 km² / 364 900 square miles

Population: 35.9 million

Time zone: GMT +3

Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Electricity: 230v

Geography: Coastal plains rising to a central plateau and highlands in the north and south, including Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain  

Climate: Winter 10 - 23°C 

Language: Swahili and English are official languages

Religion: Equally divided between Christian, Muslim and traditional beliefs