Hannah Bennett

This nation is no stranger to struggles. Once diamonds were discovered in 1867, the British and Dutch settlers, Afrikaners, fought for control. Eventually, South Africa became known for apartheid, a system of racial segregation. The green “Y” in the flag design pictures the diversity becoming unified within the country. The black, yellow, and green come from the flag of the African National Congress, and the red, white, and blue represent the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which have had a prominent influence on the country. It is one of only two national flags to display six colors in its design (the other is South Sudan’s). It recognizes eleven official languages, five of which are combined in their national anthem. Uniquely, South Africa surrounds another independent nation, Lesotho, and almost surrounds the nation of Eswatini. 
Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
Population: 56,978,635
Languages: isiZulu (official) 24.7%; isiXhosa (official) 15.6%; Afrikaans (official) 12.1%
Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean — 0 ft.
Highest Point: Ntheledi (Mafadi) — 11,319 ft.
Religion: Christian 86%; indigenous 5.4%