Until 1994, it was not politically correct for Europeans and Americans to go on vacation to South Africa. Then suddenly, the big-spending tourists rediscovered it. Foreign millionaires bought magnificent houses on the slopes of Table Mountain, overlooking Cape Town. Today, three million tourists a year visit South Africa, bringing much-needed foreign currency into the country.

Even the uglier parts of South Africa's history have become tourist attractions. Robben Island, 40 minutes by boat from Cape Town, is where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years in prison. The boat used for prisoners now ferries tourists to the island. The black township of Soweto is also a popular destination. Built in the 1940s to house cheap labour for the mines, it is a symbol of apartheid's hated Group Areas Act, which stopped black people living in or near white areas.

The mines themselves are also a fascinating part of South Africa's history. Gold Reef City in Johannesburg is a reconstructed gold rush town, where visitors can see molten gold being poured into bars.

“In the English-speaking World”