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Africa Guides

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Asia Guides

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Caribbean Guides

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Central America

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Europe Guides

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Middle East Guides

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North America

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Pacific Guides

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South America

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Cape Town was home to the first Europeans to settle in South Africa; and from there they gradually expanded their reach northward. It was the British who were actually the first to land at the Cape of Good Hope, but decided not to establish a colony.

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The immigrant population replaced the slaves working on the construction sites, and in a relatively short time, a busy port was in operation. By the early years of the 18th century, the port settlement had expanded to the point that the white farmers who emigrated from Holland, known as the Trek Bo;ers, began pushing outward to the north, looking for suitable land.

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The Bo;ers came into conflict with the Xhosa tribe and were refused help by the British. This added to the feeling by the Dutch settlers that the British were undermining their society and way of life – including their belief in the superiority of whites, and the segregation of races.

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Apartheid officially came into being in 1948, with most every aspect of life controlled in some measure by the restrictions inherent in the policies. Racial segregation was enforced in all public areas, an education system for non-whites was introduced devoid of academic subjects and mixed-race relationships of all forms were strictly forbidden.

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The government and the ANC agreed to work side-by-side, and although this was a turbulent time, a new constitution was drafted. April of 1994 saw the first democratic elections, with the ANC winning by an overwhelming majority, and Nelson Mandela elected as South Africa’s first black president.

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