South Africa has no major navigable rivers, and this has always complicated the transportation of the country’s many natural resources. The railroad network was the most important method of transporting both goods and people. On the road, vehicles still drive on the left just like the British do. In 1980, South Africa had the most developed and best maintained road network on the African continent. However, accidents were numerous, and many roads often needed repair. The major cities were also connected by the national airlines.

In large cities, public transportation was poorly developed and used almost exclusively by Blacks. Whites drove in their own cars.

This maritime country is located between two oceans. In 1980, each year, South Africa controlled the passage of some 2300 vessels that bypassed Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the continent. However, only half of these ships actually stopped at a port in the country.

Author:  Marianne Giguère

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