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National Symbol Of South Africa
Since unification in 1910, South Africa has used a range of national symbols to identify the country: coats of arms, official seals, flags, national anthems, and floral, bird, animal, and other emblems. Coats of arms * 1910 coat of arms – granted by King George V in 1910, and used until 2000.Brownell, F.G. (1993). ''National and Provincial Symbols'' * 2000 coat of arms – introduced by the Mbeki administration in 2000.''Government Gazette'' no 21131 (28 April 2000) Seals * Great Seal of the Union – authorised by King George V in 1910, and used until 1937 on state documents signed by the Governor-General. * Royal Great Seal of the Union – authorised by the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934, and used until 1961 on state documents signed by the monarch on the advice of the South African government.Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934 * Royal Signet of the Union – authorised by the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934, and used until 1961 on st ...
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South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. With over 60 million people, the country is the world's 24th-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town respectively. The largest city is Johannesburg. About 80% of the population are Black South Afri ...
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Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. It is sometimes asserted that the term ''Union Jack'' properly refers only to naval usage, but this assertion was dismissed by the Flag Institute in 2013 following historical investigations. The flag has official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. It is the national flag of all British overseas territories, being localities within the British state, or realm, although local flags have also been authorised for most, usually comprising the blue or red ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and defaced with the distinguishing arms of the territory. These may be flown in place of, or along with (but taking precedence after) the national flag. Governors of British Overseas Territories ha ...
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National Symbols Of South Africa
Since unification in 1910, South Africa has used a range of national symbols to identify the country: coats of arms, official seals, flags, national anthems, and floral, bird, animal, and other emblems. Coats of arms * 1910 coat of arms – granted by King George V in 1910, and used until 2000.Brownell, F.G. (1993). ''National and Provincial Symbols'' * 2000 coat of arms – introduced by the Mbeki administration in 2000.''Government Gazette'' no 21131 (28 April 2000) Seals * Great Seal of the Union – authorised by King George V in 1910, and used until 1937 on state documents signed by the Governor-General. * Royal Great Seal of the Union – authorised by the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934, and used until 1961 on state documents signed by the monarch on the advice of the South African government.Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934 * Royal Signet of the Union – authorised by the Royal Executive Functions and Seals Act 1934, and used until 1961 on st ...
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National Flower Of South Africa
''Protea cynaroides'', also called the king protea, is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of ''Protea'', having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region. The king protea is the national flower of South Africa. It also is the flagship of thProtea Atlas Project run by the South African National Botanical Institute. The king protea has several colour forms and horticulturists have recognized 81 garden varieties, some of which have injudiciously been planted in its natural range. In some varieties the pink of the flower and red borders of leaves are replaced by a creamy yellow. This unusual flower has a long vase life in flower arrangements, and makes for an excellent dried flower. ''Protea cynaroides'' is adapted to survive wildfires by its thick underground stem, which contains many dormant buds; thes ...
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List Of South African Flags
This article lists the flags of the various colonies and states that have existed in South Africa since 1652, as well as other flags pertaining to South Africa, including governmental, military, police and provincial flags. Overview The following flags have been used as the national flag of the Union of South Africa and the Republic of South Africa: History Historical flags (1652–1928) * Many flags were used in South Africa prior to political unification in 1910. * The original Dutch East India Company colony at the Cape of Good Hope (1652–1795) flew the Dutch flag, with the VOC logo in the centre. This flag was also flown during the period of Batavian Republic rule (1803–06). * The Boer Republics, i.e. the Orange Free State (1854–1902), the South African Republic (1857–1902), Stellaland (1882–85), Goshen (1883–85), the Nieuwe Republiek (1884–88), and the Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891) had their own flags. Several derived from the Dutch flag. * The British ...
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Blue Crane
The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, but is fairly small by the standards of the crane family. It is tall, with a wingspan of and weighs . Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures , the exposed culmen measures and the tarsus measures . This crane is pale blue-gray in color becoming darker on the upper head, neck and nape. From the crown to the lores, the plumage is distinctly lighter, sometimes whitish. The bill is ochre to greyish, with a pink tinge. The long wingtip feathers which trail to the ground. The primaries are black to slate grey, with dark coverts and blackish on the secondaries. Unlike most cranes, it has a relatively large head and a proportionately thin neck. Juveniles are similar but slightly lighter, with tawny coloration on the head, and no ...
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Galjoen
The galjoen, black bream, or blackfish (''Dichistius capensis'') is a species of marine fish found only along the coast of southern Africa from Angola to South Africa. Galjoen is the national fish of South Africa. Distribution and habitat The galjoen is indigenous to the coasts of southern Africa from Angola to South Africa, and is generally found around reefs at shallow depths around , often near the shore. Description This species can reach in total length and a weight of . The body is compressed, and the fins are well developed, with prominent spines, 10 of them, with between 18 and 23 rays. The anal fin has three spines, and usually 13 or 14 rays, the pelvic fins have 1 spine and 5 rays, and the pectoral fins are typically shorter than the head. The body, fins, and head, with the except of the front of the snout, are covered in scales. The lips are thick, with strong curved incisors at the front of the mouth, with smaller teeth behind the front incisors. Ecology Diet ...
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Springbok
The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780. Three subspecies are identified. A slender, long-legged antelope, the springbok reaches at the shoulder and weighs between . Both sexes have a pair of black, long horns that curve backwards. The springbok is characterised by a white face, a dark stripe running from the eyes to the mouth, a light-brown coat marked by a reddish-brown stripe that runs from the upper fore leg to the buttocks across the flanks like the Thomson's gazelle, and a white rump flap. Active mainly at dawn and dusk, springbok form harems (mixed-sex herds). In earlier times, springbok of the Kalahari desert and Karoo migrated in large numbers across the countryside, a practice known as ''trekbokking''. A feature, peculiar but not unique, to t ...
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Real Yellowwood
''Podocarpus latifolius'' (broad-leaved yellowwood or real yellowwood, af, Opregte-geelhout, nso, Mogôbagôba, xh, Umcheya, zu, Umkhoba) is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podocarpaceae; it is the type species of the genus ''Podocarpus''. The real yellowwood has been declared the national tree of South Africa and is protected there. Appearance The real yellowwood is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 30 meters in height. It grows relatively slowly but forms a wood of exceptional quality. The leaves are strap-shaped, 25–40 mm long on mature trees or up to 100 mm long on young trees, and 6–12 mm broad, with a bluntly pointed tip. The species name ''"latifolius"'' is Latin for "broad-leaved". The bright-coloured foliage of new growth stands out against the dark leaves of mature foliage. The cones of this dioecious tree are berry-like, with a single (rarely two) 7–11 mm seed apical o ...
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King Protea
''Protea cynaroides'', also called the king protea, is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of ''Protea'', having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region. The king protea is the national flower of South Africa. It also is the flagship of thProtea Atlas Project run by the South African National Botanical Institute. The king protea has several colour forms and horticulturists have recognized 81 garden varieties, some of which have injudiciously been planted in its natural range. In some varieties the pink of the flower and red borders of leaves are replaced by a creamy yellow. This unusual flower has a long vase life in flower arrangements, and makes for an excellent dried flower. ''Protea cynaroides'' is adapted to survive wildfires by its thick underground stem, which contains many dormant buds; thes ...
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National Anthem Of South Africa
The National Anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century Xhosa hymn " xh, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, label=none" ( en, "God Bless Africa", ) and the Afrikaans song which was used as the South African national anthem during the apartheid era, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" ( en, "The Voice of South Africa"), with new English lyrics. The anthem is often referred to by its incipit of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", but this has never been its official title, which is simply "National Anthem of South Africa". The committee responsible for this new composition included Anna Bender, Elize Botha, Richard Cock, Dolf Havemann (Secretary), Mzilikazi Khumalo (Chairman), Masizi Kunene, John Lenake, Fatima Meer, Khabi Mngoma, Wally Serote, Johan de Villiers, and Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. Structure The lyrics employ the five most widely spoken of South Africa's eleven official languages – Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first s ...
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Nkosi Sikelel' IAfrika
"Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" (, ) is a Christian hymn originally composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa people, Xhosa clergyman at a Methodism, Methodist mission school near Johannesburg. The song became a pan-African liberation song and versions of it were later adopted as the national anthems of five countries in Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe after independence, and South Africa after the end of apartheid. The song's melody is still used as the Mungu ibariki Afrika, national anthem of Tanzania and the Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free, national anthem of Zambia (Zimbabwe and Namibia have since changed to new anthems with original melody composition). In 1994, Nelson Mandela decreed that the verse of ''Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika'' be embraced as a joint national anthem of South Africa; a revised version additionally including elements of "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, Die Stem" (the then co-state anthem inherited from the previous apartheid governmen ...
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