Practical reference points for getting oriented

Pretoria, languages and currency in South Africa

A first look at South Africa: where it is, which languages are spoken and what currency to know about when planning your trip.

South African rand banknotes as a reference to the national currency.
Photo by JMK Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
South Africa lies in southern Africa, and its political capital is Pretoria. Before planning your trip, it is worth bearing in mind the country’s linguistic diversity and the South African rand; check up-to-date information for practical details.
Visual context for South Africa Context video selected for this guide; it does not by itself identify every place mentioned. Video by Illing, Nicola · Zenodo · CC-BY-4.0 · Duration: 00:43
Listen to South Africa

A documented soundscape that complements this guide to South Africa. A first look at South Africa: where it is, which languages are spoken and what currency to know about when planning your trip.

Cultural or ambient audio selected as context; it does not necessarily represent every place mentioned.
Audio by Library of Congress · loc_citizen_dj · Public Domain · Duration: 00:29
01

Location and capital

South Africa is in the Southern African region and has a coastline; it is not a landlocked country. Pretoria, in Gauteng province, is listed as the political capital. The reference material consulted also lists Bloemfontein and Cape Town as capitals, so you may see all three names together in general references to the country. Pretoria is the relevant answer if you are looking for the political capital; do not assume that every national service or administrative procedure is handled there.
South African rand banknotes as a reference to the national currency.
Photo by JMK Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
02

Languages and currency

The country has eleven official languages: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Pedi or Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. English is one of them, but it is not the only one. The currency is the South African rand, symbol R. Use it as a guide when planning payments and your budget; before you leave, check the current exchange and payment arrangements, which are not established by these general facts.
03

What to check before you leave

Geographical and national facts can help you get your bearings, but they do not confirm flights, local transport, opening hours, prices or entry requirements. Check these details with official sources or current providers before finalising your itinerary. The information available identifies an airport in Pretoria, but does not establish whether it currently has flights or passenger services.
04

Key takeaways

South Africa is in Southern Africa and has a coastline. Pretoria is identified in the evidence as the political capital; other references also list Bloemfontein and Cape Town. There are eleven official languages, and the currency is the South African rand (R). Check flights, transport, payment arrangements and current requirements separately.
05

Key takeaways

:[] Note: The source repeats a takeaways section and provides an empty array marker; the article has been consolidated into one set of key takeaways without adding claims. • Sudáfrica está en África Austral y tiene costa. • Pretoria es la capital política indicada en la evidencia; otras referencias enumeran también Bloemfontein y Ciudad del Cabo. • Hay once lenguas oficiales y la moneda es el rand sudafricano (R). • Confirma por separado vuelos, transportes, pagos y requisitos actuales.
Sources and checks

References consulted during editorial review. Times, requirements and advisories may change: always confirm with the official source.

  1. Sudáfrica WikidataCC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q258
  2. Sudáfrica WikidataCC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q99294998
  3. South Africa World Countries — mledozeODbL 1.0 World countries dataset by mledoze and contributors · ODbL 1.0
  4. Pretoria GeoNamesDatos geográficos bajo CC BY 4.0; requiere atribución a GeoNames. Fuente: GeoNames
  5. Pretoria, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, 0142, South Africa OpenStreetMapODbL 1.0; atribución y obligación de compartir bases derivadas. Fuente: OpenStreetMap
  6. South Africa World Bank Open DataCC BY 4.0 World Bank
  7. CRONOLOGÍA DE SUDÁFRICA: CrossrefMetadatos públicos; derechos específicos por campo cuando correspondan Crossref
  8. CRONOLOGÍA: CrossrefMetadatos públicos; derechos específicos por campo cuando correspondan Crossref
  9. Wonderboom Airport OpenFlightsODbL 1.0 (base de datos) / DbCL 1.0 (contenidos) Wonderboom Airport · OpenFlights · ODbL 1.0
  10. Pretoria WikidataCC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q3926