South Africa is a diverse country, meeting many possible descriptions. South Africa has a diverse cultural heritage and a long, interesting history. Simple definitions may not have great success when applied to the country.
Generally, however, we can use some common terms to describe the country. Economically, South Africa can be classified as a developing nation, in the same category (but not of the same size) as countries such Russia, China, India and Brazil, and South Africa recently joined those four countries in a partnership known as BRICS. Although South Africa is a lot smaller than the other countries in the partnership, the economy is also developing in various sectors of the economy, such as services and manufacturing.
Geographically, South Africa is situated at the southern end of the African continent, many kilometres (or miles) away from Europe, the USA and Asia, but is still an important destination on the international trade map, due to ample deposits of natural resources such as gold, platinum and coal.
Politically, South Africa has achieved relative democracy in recent times after centuries of internal conflict and misguided government policies. It is in this atmosphere of new hope and inspiration that one may approach the country, both as a new home and as an investment destination.