I know it is still an impoverished country but compared to other african countries it seems much more civilized and developed.
But even more than that it seems like it is much more culturally prominent than other african countries. I never hear about Ghana in casual conversation but I feel like I hear about South Africa more regularly. It has had major historical figures, movies have been set there, people want to travel there. It just seems like it is more out there than the rest of Africa.
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It’s just the big and rich. Nigeria has more population, as does Egypt, but per-capita South Africa is more wealthy, while still being the third largest African nation in terms of total GDP. Botswana and Gabon are wealthier still, but relatively small. In European terms, they would be like your Belgium or Luxembourg to South Africa’s France/Germany.
Now as to why South Africa is as wealthy as it is, I would argue the biggest reason is trade. South Africa features Durban, the largest seaport in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s well-positioned to handle intercontinental shipping to South Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
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