South Africa , also known as the rainbow nation, is a country full of contrasts thanks to its diversity of cultures, religious beliefs and languages. In addition, its natural beauty awakens the interest of tourists, who sometimes also opt for the southernmost country on the African continent, attracted by the good weather and how cheap it is to spend a vacation there.
If you are going to visit South Africa and you want your experience to be unforgettable, I recommend that you take note of what I am going to tell you next, since I will tell you about its ten main cities . Shall we start?
Cape Town
Cape Town is the main tourist attraction in the country. It is a city where more than 400,000 inhabitants live who enjoy its beaches, especially Hout Bay , which is far enough from the center for you to relax contemplating its privileged location.
Johannesburg
It is the most populous city in South Africa, with almost 4 and a half million inhabitants living there . That speaks to its importance and explains the fact that it is one of the few global cities in all of Africa. Although it also lives from the tourism sector, the main business has to do with the extraction of gold and diamonds, so it is not surprising that it is the financial and economic center of the country.
Durban
The hottest people love Durban, where about 600,000 people live. Its climate is very pleasant and that invites you to visit its beaches day after day. In addition, it is a city with a lot of life at night in which you will not have problems when going out to eat if you like curry , since there are several restaurants specializing in the preparation of dishes with the famous mixture of spices.
Praetorship
It is a very complete city in which just over 750,000 people reside. It is easy to come across monuments and museums , but there is also time for leisure thanks to its nightclubs, music halls and theaters. Sports fans also feel good in Pretoria as they are crazy about rugby, which in South Africa is the national sport.
Port elizabeth
It is known as a " friendly city ", something that says a lot about the good atmosphere that you will find in Port Elizabeth, where some 800,000 people live. Its main attraction are the beaches.
Bloemfontein
It is one of the three capitals of South Africa along with Pretoria and Cape Town. If it is known for something, it is for the large number of roses there. It is located on a plain about 1,395 meters above sea level and has a population of 400,000 inhabitants.
Nelspruit
With just over 220,000 inhabitants, Nelspruit cannot be said to be a large city. Despite this, it deserves to be on this list as it is the gateway to the Kruger National Park and the Sabi-Sabi game reserves.
Kimberley
Just over 200,000 people live here too. It is near the Orange River and is known for being the city where Kimberlite rock was first found. Most of its citizens live from mining , from the five large holes that were dug into kimberlite. One of them, the Big Hole ("Big Hole"), is the one you can see in the image shown above these lines.
Polokwane
Polokwane means " place of peace ". With that good letter of introduction, anyone would want to live there, but the truth is that it barely has 130,000 inhabitants. It is a place full of myths and legends that triumphs among those who value ecotourism.
Pietermaritzburg
This city of 220,000 inhabitants closes the list, which could be defined as historic and colonial. It was founded in 1838 and is also known as Maritzburg . They are specialists in the manufacture of aluminum, wood and dairy products. In addition, it is known for being a city in which Mahatma Gandhi had problems, since it was launched from a train in which he was traveling in first class, something that was not well seen because he was an Indian.