The Republic of South Africa fits snugly into the foot of Africa. The two oceans which wash its coastline, the cold Atlantic on the west and the warm Indian Ocean on the east, meet off Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent. The country's area of over 1.2 million km2 is five times the size of the United Kingdom and about one-eighth the size of the USA. It is home to a culturally diverse population of around 44 million.

Nelson Mandela's gripping autobiography, Long walk to freedom, gives vivid descriptions of the years he spent in captivity on Robben Island. "...journeying to Robben Island was like going to another country", he wrote. From being an apartheid stronghold, the 5km2 island has now been converted to a museum which attracts intense interest among visitors. The island lies in Table Bay, 11 km out from Cape Town, and is reached by ferries which depart regularly from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

From Cape Town, aerial cable cars lift passengers over 1000 metres to the top of Table Mountain in seven minutes. The journey itself is a breathtaking experience, and the summit affords a sweeping panorama of Cape Town with its lively Waterfront, Table Bay, the Peninsula and the distant blue of the Hottentots Holland mountains. Almost all the 2,600 species of the indigenous flora of the Cape Peninsula are found on the summit and slopes of the mountain.

The "Wild Coast" in the Eastern cape is one of South Africa's most exciting and unspoilt regions, a delight to the artist and photographer with its green hills and deep gorges, while the quiet coves have a special appeal for fishermen all the year round.

Eastwards of the Northern Cape lies the Free State. Here too are vast horizons, but rich soils and good rainfall cloak these open plains with the gold of sunflowers or maize. Known as the "Breadbasket of South Africa", the Free State produces 36% of South Africa's maize, a staple crop. The planting of sunflowers has been stimulated by an ever-growing demand for margarine and vegetable oils.

In Johannesburg, all that glitters may well be gold, for the city's fortunes were founded on the precious metal. As well as luxury hotels, restaurants and shopping centres, Johannesburg offers a wealth of museums, tours of gold and diamond mines, and a fully operational mining theme park. Visitors can experience the vibrant life of a township and a shebeen, visit nightclubs and enjoy opera, ballet, live theatre and great jazz. Of great interest are the nearby Sterkfontein caves, where Dr Robert Broom uncovered the well-preserved female skull of an early man-ape species which lived over two million years ago - nicknamed "Mrs Ples".

The graceful lines of the Union Buildings appeared in television images all over the world at the time of President Mandela's inauguration in 1994. They look out over the colourful gardens, shrubs and trees of Pretoria's suburbs. This sunny city is particularly attractive in October, when jacarandas line the avenues with mauve. Pretoria has excellent shopping malls, art galleries, open-air restaurants and elegant entertainment venues. The State theatre presents a wide range of productions, from traditional dance to opera. There are a number of relaxing day walks within easy reach of the city centre.

The city and port of Durban, with its balmy climate, attracts visitors throughout the year to enjoy its beachfront hotels, warm sea bathing and cosmopolitan flavour. A block away from sophisticated discos and nightclubs is an exotic world of mosques, temples and Indian bazaars laden with the scent of spices.

Of great interest to the layman as well as the art expert is the prehistoric rock art of South Africa - among the richest and best-preserved in the world. The artists were the San or Bushman, nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in natural rock shelters and used mineral and stone pigments with bird droppings and plant sap to create their naturalistic paintings of animals. Very often these depict the eland, an antelope which had a religious significance for the San and often features in their myths and legends.

The visitors travel through the dramatic mountain scenery of Mpumalanga into a misty green valley to reach Pilgrim's Rest. It is one of the most perfect specimens in the world of a mining town born in the excitement of an alluvial gold rush (1873). Caught in a time-warp, guests can stay in the main building of the Royal Hotel or in the historic cottages of the town, dine in two charming restaurants and wander down the picturesque main street with its old-time store, museum and attractive curio shops.

The mountain scenery of north-east Mpumalanga is awe inspiring in its grandeur. Looking out over the vast Blyde River Canyon, on the edge of the Drakensberg Escarpment, the view stretches to the distant bushveld far below. The canyon is partially filled by the blue waters of the Blyde River Dam.

Perhaps nothing is so evocative of the African bush as a lone baobab tree in the open veld. The tree's swollen trunk and spreading limbs gave rise to an African legend that a giant had planted it upside down. It forms a striking element of the vegetation along the Northern slopes of the Zoutpansberg in the Northern Province. A single tree can form a whole ecosystem, sheltering in its trunk and branches insects, birds and mammals such as the shy little bush-baby. The tart fruit pulp of the baobab makes a refreshing drink, said to be a cure for fever.

Mafikeng was the focus of world attention when it was besieged for seven months by Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War. The Mafikeng Museum, housed in the old Town Hall, features many reminders of the famous siege, as well as items focusing on the Barolong people and the San, whose history is bound up with the area. Mafikeng now forms part of the urban complex of Mmabatho, the capital of the North West province.

The variety of building styles reflects the diversity of the population, and the freedom of each culture to express itself. This Hindu temple in Cato Manor, Durban, is a charming example of a place of worship.

The scenic Western Cape winelands present a panorama of mountain ranges, vineyards, oak-lined roads and white gabled homesteads. The winelands have long, warm dry summers and good rains in winter, ideal for grape cultivation. Local wine routes include the Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek districts. They offer fascinating cellar tours and tasting of South Africa's top wines, which have won international awards.

South Africa is a growing destination for the conference market and incentive travel. The Durban International Conference Centre is one of the largest and most modern conference centres in the world and caters for up to 5 000 delegates. In addition there is a range of more than 1 200 conference venues catering for every size and type of conference, from secluded hideaways to luxury coastal and mountain retreats. The country offers magnificent scenery and a wide choice of pre- and post-conference tours and special-interest tours. With its excellent infrastructure, South Africa has an established track record in hosting major international events.

The Outeniqua Choo-Choo is a narrow-gauge train which runs daily between Knysna and George in the Western Cape, combining the fun of a steam train journey with a chance to enjoy some of the loveliest scenery on the Garden Route: the tranquil Knysna lake district, dazzling seascapes and winding green valleys. Tourists who would also enjoy a longer train trip in luxurious comfort can book on such trains as the Blue Train, the Rovos Rail luxury trains or the Shongolola Express.

A major South African port, Port Elizabeth contains many reminders of the arrival of the 1820 settlers in this country. On the Donkin Reserve, proclaimed in 1820, stands a lighthouse which now houses a military museum. This friendly city offers warm seas and a variety of water sports, as well as the Oceanarium with its varied and animated collection of marine life, including the famous dolphins.