The history of South Africa, with its population of around 50 million, has been well documented elsewhere, especially the country's long walk to freedom from its oppressive apartheid regime. After the ANC's success in the country's first non-racial elections in 1994, installing Nelson Mandela as President, the country has become a much more liberal society, yet the years of oppression have left a  legacy of cultural violence, lack of education for a generation, and widespread poverty, particularly outside the major conurbations.

Indeed 57% of its population live in poverty with 50,000 children dying each year from curable diseases or malnutrition. One in twenty children die before the age of five, nearly 20% of the adult population suffer from AIDS/HIV (280,000 children are also infected.) 1.4 million children have lost a parent to AIDS and overall there are around two and a half million orphans in the country.

Despite this, South Africa is an emerging market with an abundant supply of metals and minerals including gold, diamonds and platinum, however an outdated infrastructure and high rates of unemployment have as yet to realise the country's full economic potential.

Work in South Africa focuses on the provision of education (not least the health effects of Aids), clean water projects and immunisation and health programs. Our about South Africa pages explore many of these issues from the history of South Africa, its apartheid period to facts about life in South Africa today then, when you've finished exploring these South Africa facts pages why not try our South Africa quiz?