Robben Island For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, about 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of exile where rulers sent those they regarded as outcasts and troublemakers. Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism. The author Lawrence Green described Robben Island as "The Island of Exiles". MuseumSince 1997 Robben Island has been a museum acting as a focal point of South African heritage. In 1999 the island was declared a World Heritage Site. During the apartheid years Robben Island was used to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. The IslandOn the road to the village you'll pass a square-towered church and old Sailboat cannons.
South Africa profile - Timeline A chronology of key events: 4th century - Migrants from the north settle, joining the indigenous San and Khoikhoi people. 1480s - Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Dias is the first European to travel round the southern tip of Africa. 1497 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama lands on Natal coast. 1652 - Jan van Riebeeck, representing the Dutch East India Company, founds the Cape Colony at Table Bay. 1795 - British forces seize Cape Colony from the Netherlands. 1816-1826 - Shaka Zulu founds and expands the Zulu empire, creates a formidable fighting force. 1835-1840 - Boers leave Cape Colony in the 'Great Trek' and found the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. 1852 - British grant limited self-government to the Transvaal. 1856 - Natal separates from the Cape Colony. Late 1850s - Boers proclaim the Transvaal a republic. 1860-1911 - Arrival of thousands of labourers and traders from India, forebears of the majority of South Africa's current Indian population. 1867 - Diamonds discovered at Kimberley.
Robben Island Robben Island Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism. Robben Island a été utilisée à différentes époques entre le XVIIe et le XXe siècle comme prison, hôpital pour les malades socialement indésirables et base militaire. Ses bâtiments, et en particulier ceux du XXe siècle, la prison à haute sécurité pour les prisonniers politiques, témoignent de l'oppression et du racisme qui régnaient avant le triomphe de la démocratie et de la liberté. جزيرة روبن تمّ استعمال جزيرة روبن خلال مراحل مختلفة بين القرنين السابع عشر والعشرين كسجن وكمستشفى للمرضى غير المرغوب بهم اجتماعياً وكقاعدة عسكرية. source: UNESCO/ERI 罗布恩岛 从17世纪到20世纪罗布恩岛曾有过不同的用途，它曾经是监狱、不受社会欢迎的人的医院和军事基地。 Остров Роббен-Айленд Robben Island
The World Factbook ShowIntroduction :: SOUTH AFRICA Panel - Collapsed Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (Afrikaners, called "Boers" (farmers) by the British) trekked north to found their own republics in lands taken from the indigenous black inhabitants. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Afrikaners resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Second South African War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, ruled together beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum.
Nelson Mandela - Biography - President (non-U.S.), Writer, Civil Rights Activist Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa in 1994, serving until 1999. A symbol of global peacemaking, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Synopsis Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mveso, Transkei, South Africa. Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. Early Life Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918, in the tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei, South Africa. Nelson Mandela's father, who was destined to be a chief, served as a counselor to tribal chiefs for several years, but lost both his title and fortune over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. At the suggestion of one of his father's friends, Mandela was baptized in the Methodist Church. Mandela's Imprisonment In Recent Years
What is the African National Congress? What is the African National Congress? The ANC is a national liberation movement. It was formed in 1912 to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental political, social and economic change. For ten decades the ANC has led the struggle against racism and oppression, organising mass resistance, mobilising the international community and taking up the armed struggle against apartheid. Aims and Objectives The ANC`s key objective is the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. ANC Policy The Freedom Charter, which was adopted by the Congress of the People in 1955, remains the basic policy document of the ANC. The Freedom Charter declares that: In 1994 the ANC adopted the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) as the basic policy framework guiding the ANC in the transformation of South Africa. meeting basic needs developing our human resources building the economy democratising the state and society Symbols of the ANC Structures of the ANC
Home | Apartheid Museum The languages of South Africa We're not called the rainbow nation for nothing. South Africa has 11 official languages, and scores of unofficial ones. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life – but only the fifth most spoken home language. Introduction Besides the 11 official languages, scores of others – African, European, Asian – are spoken in South Africa, as the country lies at the crossroads of southern Africa. Language distribution According to the 2011 census, isiZulu is the mother tongue of 22.7% of South Africa's population, followed by isiXhosa at 16%, Afrikaans at 13.5%, English at 9.6%, Setswana at 8% and Sesotho at 7.6%. * Spoken as a home language ** Unspecified and not applicable are excluded Source: Census 2001 Most South Africans are multilingual, able to speak more than one language. Provincial variations Source: Statistics SA Afrikaans Afrikaans is the third most common language in South Africa. Source: Census 2021 and Ethnologue English isiNdebele isiXhosa
Primary History - Famous People - Nelson Mandela All About South Africa Jun 08, 2010 Seeing as the 2010 FIFA World Cup happened in South Africa, we thought it’d be cool to learn a bit more about the beautiful country, which has definitely been through its fair share of tough times. South African Kids Of all the countries on the continent of Africa, South Africa’s the most diverse in terms of its territory. It ranges from rolling hills to wide open savannah to the Kalahari Desert to the high peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains. Lots of people visit South Africa to go on safari, though, since it’s got two of the world’s most famous wildlife reserves: the Kruger and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks. Map of South Africa Early History South Africa is a beautiful country. A couple hundred years later, when gold was discovered in South Africa by the British, wars broke out between different European settlers who wanted to gain control of the country for themselves. Apartheid Apartheid in South Africa Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Freed Nelson Mandela Statue