South Africa (Alexander the Liberator)

The following Alexander the Liberator page is under construction. Please do not edit or alter this article in any way while this template is active. All unauthorized edits may be reverted on the admin's discretion. Propose any changes to the talk page.

Republic of South Africa Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans) Timeline: Alexander the Liberator OTL equivalent: South Africa and Namibia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Ex Unitate Vires (Latin for "From Unity, Strength")
Anthem:  "Die Stem van Suid Afrika" English: "The Call of South Africa"
Map of South Africa
Capital		Pretoria
Largest city		Johannesburg
Other cities		Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth
Official languages		Afrikaans and English
Regional languages		German
Ethnic groups (2017)		80.8% Afrikaners 11.7% Anglo-Africans 4.9% Afro-Germans 1.3% Bantu peoples 0.6% Khoisan 0.5% Italians 0.1% Other/mixed
Religion		Secular Majority of South Africans are Protestants
Demonym		South Africans
Government		Federal constitutional parliamentary republic
-	State President	Constand Viljoen
-	Prime Minister	Pieter Groenewald
Legislature		Parliament
-	Upper house	Senate
-	Lower house	House of Assembly
Establishment
-	South Africa Act	31 May 1910
-	Self Governance	11 December 1931
-	Republic	31 May 1949
Area
-	Total	2,045,320 km2  789,700 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	2018 estimate	6,500,000
-	2017 census	6,216,000
-	Density	9/km2  23/sq mi
Currency		South African rand (ZAR)
Time zone		SAST (UTC+2)
Date formats		dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the		left
Calling code		+27

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded on the south by the coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; on the north by the neighbouring countries of Angola, Botswana, and Rhodesia; and on the east and northeast by Moçambique and Swaziland; and surrounds the kingdom of Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere.

The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century. However, during the early years of the republic, the majority of the Bantu population have been expelled to Botswana, Mozambique, and Zaire. During the 20th century, the remaining black population sought to claim more rights from the dominant white majority, with this struggle playing a large role in the country's recent history and politics. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation. By the 1980's, South Africa began to repeal Apartheid as a result of Russian pressure.

Since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the country's liberal democracy, which comprises a federal parliamentary republic and five provinces. South Africa is a highly developed country, with the largest economy in Africa behind Rhodesia.

Name

The name "South Africa" is derived from the country's geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation, the country was named the Union of South Africa in English and Unie van Zuid-Afrika in Dutch, reflecting its origin from the unification of four formerly separate British colonies. Since 1951, the long formal name in English has been the "Republic of South Africa" and Republiek van Suid-Afrika in Afrikaans.

History

During the years immediately following the Anglo-Boer wars, Britain set about unifying the four colonies including the former Boer republics into a single self-governed country called the Union of South Africa. This was accomplished after several years of negotiations, when the South Africa Act 1909 consolidated the Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State into one nation. Under the provisions of the act, the Union became an independent Dominion of the British Empire, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch represented by a Governor-General. Prosecutions before the courts of the Union of South Africa were instituted in the name of the Crown and government officials served in the name of the Crown. The British High Commission territories of Basutoland (now Lesotho), Bechuanaland (now Botswana), and Swaziland continued under direct rule from Britain.

Demographics

The majority of South Africans are Afrikaners, who constitute 80.8% of the population. The Afrikaners are descended of Dutch settlers who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope during the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the rise in Communism in Western Europe, many Dutch refugees have settled in South Africa. Due to the similarities being Afrikaans and Dutch, the Dutch have since integrated into Afrikanerdom. Nearly a quarter of Afrikaners claim to be descended of Dutch refugees from the Communist era.

The country's largest minority group are the Anglo-Africans, people who have British ancestry. These include individuals whose ancestors were British settlers during the 18th and 19th centuries, and people who are or are descended from refugees from Great Britain. Germans constitute the third largest group within the nation.

The remaining ethnic groups include the Bantus, the Khoisans, and the Italians. The majority of Bantu people were expelled from South Africa during the 20th century, however many still remain and some have even returned home. The Khoisans were not affected during this period. Italians, have started settling in South Africa during the aftermath of the Second World War.

Afrikaners are mainly concentrated within the Orange Free State and Transvaal provinces, both of whom were the two most notable of the Boer republics. Anglo-Africans mostly reside within Natal. The Cape Province is divided by mostly Afrikaners and Anglo-Africans, with a large Khoisan minority residing in the Cape Town area. Bantus and Germans mostly reside in Namibia.

Provinces

Flag	Province	Capital
	Cape Province	Cape Town
	Orange Free State	Bloemfontein
	Transvaal	Pretoria
	Natal	Durban
	Namibia	Windhoek