South Africa

South Africa is a beautiful place to be and is a great place to start a business because of the many opportunities that are given and the wonderful atmosphere you would be a part of. Going to South Africa may seem like it would be a complete culture shock, but after doing some research, I found that they share many of the beliefs and etiquettes that us American's practice. The culture is extremely different and not like the United States but when it comes to starting a business and interacting with one another it is not too far from what we do. South Africa is the southern most tip on Africa and has a population of about 42,718,530. Their climate is semiarid which includes sunny days and cool nights. Throughout the country there are 11 different languages spoken where English is the language of administration and spoken everywhere. The other languages include Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsongo, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. Christianity is the majority of the religion in South Africa with Muslim and Hindu making up most of the rest.

The culture is South Africa is extremely important to South Africans. They are often known as the “Rainbow Nation” because it is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. The Urban areas include many different ethnic groups making their country very diverse. Family in South Africa is much like family in the United States. Like us, their basic unit in society is family and is found in the nuclear family, or the immediate family. The biggest difference between the family in South Africa and America is that in South Africa they put a bigger emphasis and importance on their extended family or tribe whereas we do not. The tribe to them is very important because it provides both emotional and financial security for them. Johannesburg is a big city in South Africa and there are many city people that live there. The people who reside in this city tend to live life in the fast lane. They are more interested in what you own rather than who you actually are as a person. Another city in South Africa is Cape Town and the people who live there have so much pride in their city and feel like it is superior to any other city in South Africa.

To start a business in South Africa and be successful it would be vital to know the different etiquettes and customs