Oxford Announces 2009 Place of the Year: South Africa

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Next month Hollywood will deftly foreshadow one of world's most important events. Clint Eastwood's Invictus (December 2009) will take audiences back to Nelson Mandela's quest for national unity as his newly democratized country hosts the 1995 Rugby World Cup. If the film buzz extends long enough (Oscar season, DVD release) the perfect stage could be set for the 2010 World Cup this summer -- another athletic tournament for the South African history books. As the parallels between history and the present unfold, Oxford University Press is proud to announce South Africa as 2009 "Place of the Year."

Officially becoming a post-apartheid, democratic nation 15 years ago, South Africa still proves to be a complex dichotomy of transformation and tragedy. The billions of dollars pumped into the World Cup are estimated to ultimately boost the economy, increase jobs, and national pride--a potential success story for a country that still struggles to overcome poverty, staggering HIV rates, and residual apartheid sentiment. The 2009 "Place of the Year" campaign aims to give the blogosphere a more in depth look at a nation that will be front and center in the upcoming months.

Starting November 9th the OUP blog is proud to present a range of perspectives and stories in celebration of "Place of the Year." To get the things started Oxford presents you with some useful South African facts:
Population: 48,783,000
Capital(s): Cape Town (Legislative); Pretoria/Tshwane (Administrative), Bloemfontein (Judiciary)
Government: Multiparty Republic
Ethnic Groups: Black 76%, White 13%, Colored 9%, Asian 2%
Languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu (all official)
Religions: Christianity 68%, Islam 2%, Hinduism 1%
Currency: Rand=100 cents
Most valuable activities: mining and manufacturing
President: Jacob Zuma (elected in 2009)

For more on our ever changing world, be sure to check out Oxford's Atlas of the World, 16th Edition--the only atlas updated annually. New additions this year include:

-- A completely refreshed satellite imagery section, including:

• Greater focus on the center of London, at larger scale, with clear visibility of the new high-speed continental rail terminal at St. Pancras and many other well-known London landmarks
• Completely new image of Tehran, clearly showing its geographical position below the Alborz Mountains
• New images of Nouakchott, the largest city and capital of Mauritania, and Shanghai, one of the fastest growing cities in the world
• A stunning image of New Zealand's Cook Strait
• Brand new images span the Americas, from Quebec to Lima, Peru
  

• The most recent US and South African elections
• Recent political developments in Pakistan and Zimbabwe
  

Atlas of the World, 16th Edition was published, in hardcover, by Oxford University Press on October 22, 2009.

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