10 reasons to learn English in South Africa
Tuesday, 11th May 2010
There are lots of countries around the world where English is spoken, but South Africa is certainly one of the most exciting, varied and interesting places that you can choose to study the language.
Here are 10 reasons that make it a great destination to learn or improve your English.
1. English is one of the official languages of South Africa and is spoken by about 45% of the population. It is the main language of government, business and the media, and is used as the medium of instruction in most schools.
2. South Africa has a great variety of landscape and climate with mountains, forests and jungles, deserts, grassland, savannah, valleys filled with vineyards and fruit farms, some 3,000 km of coastline with great beaches, and much more.
3. South Africa is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna from whales, sharks and penguins to lions, leopards, rhinos, wildebeest and giraffes. It also has a huge range of flowering and other plants.
4. There are considerable variations in the climate in different parts of the country. Cape Town, for example, has a Medierranean climate with dry summers and wet winters; Durban has a subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, relatively dry winters, and Johannesburg is dry and sunny thoughout the year.
5. South Africa is a great place for outdoor sports and adventures, including safaris, mountain climbing, diving, fishing, surfing and bird watching.
6. As well as English, there are many other languages, cultures and cusines to discover in South Africa. There are restaurants offering food from all over the world, as well as indigenous dishes, and the braai (barbeque), which involves lots of meant, fish, potatoes and onions, is very popular. South Africa is also famous for it’s wines, which come mainly from the Western Cape region, are good quality and don’t cost too much. To find out more and to taste the wines you can go on tours of the wine-growing areas. Local and imported beers are also popular.
7. The people of South Africa are friendly and welcoming.
8. There’s a good choice of English schools in South Africa, especially in Cape Town. They offer general and intensive courses, preparation of English proficiency exams, business English courses, individual lessons, and also internship programmes, which give you a chance to gain work experience in a local company and are a great way to improve your English.
9. South Africa has a vibrant music scence with excellent singers, bands and choirs, as well as dance troupes.
10. South Africa is a relatively inexpensive destination, especially when compared to Europe and the USA, and it’s cheaper in outside the major cities.
Cactus offers a range of English course locations globally, including Cape Town in South Africa. For full listings of English courses around the world please visit the Cactus Language website.
Tags: languaeg learning, durban, cape town, surfing, course, language, languages, south africa, food, culture, english
Posted by Simon Ager 2010-05 under Experience Cultures,
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