A penetrating overview of South Africa and its varied and complex history, this book is sure to appeal to visitors and anyone interested in the country's past and present. Illustrations.

This concise and readable guide to the history and culture of Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria, relates the history of the region from its earliest beginnings to its politics and life at the turn of the new century. North Africa is surrounded by the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and to the south, the sands of the Sahara. It has seen wave upon wave of invasion, from the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC to the French in the 20th century.

"What will South Africa look like in 2030? And how will the next 15 years unfold? ... In this book, leading scenario planner Frans Cronje analyses the latest trends and presents four new scenarios for the country's future. Will South Africa take the socialist route and allow the state to seize all wealth and land? Will the status quo prevail, and the wealth divide widen while crime soars? Do we face a pernicious erosion of our democratic rights and freedoms? Or will a rainbow rise unexpectedly?"--Back cover.

From the early Christian era in Europe, Southeast Asia was known as the “Land of Gold.” It is a region blessed with a rich diversity of cultures, peoples, and scenery. A Traveller’s History of Southeast Asia is a lucid and concise introduction to the histories of the modern states of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and East Timor, providing an essential guide for both tourists and the general reader. It spans the history of the region from “Java Man” some one million years ago, to the development of the high-tech, skyscraper cities of the new millennium, all the way to the present time. Following chapters on the physical environment and the earliest human history of Southeast Asia, the authors carry the reader through the classical kingdoms that produced such architectural marvels as Borobudur in Java and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The book further explores Southeast Asia’s growing trade with the outside world from 1500 culminating in colonization by the European imperial powers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The struggles for independence in the last century—which made the modern nations of the region—are discussed in detail, as are the dramatic and tragic events of the post-independence era such as the Vietnam War and the Cambodia genocide. The remarkable successes and failings of the region’s recent economic development are highlighted in the final chapter. Above all, A Traveller’s History of Southeast Asia shows how the region’s soul has been preserved against tremendous external pressures.

A Traveller's History of South Africa is intended as a comprehensive single volume survey of one of today's most popular and exciting destinations. Lifting the lid on this most multi-cultural of societies - and its chequered past - the book will begin by tracing the evolution of South Africa from prehistoric times, taking into account the most recent archaeological and anthropological findings. It will then chart the penetration of the region by European explorers and traders; the political, social and economic developments that follow on from this, and finally, the complicated descent into state repression of the majority black population after the Second World War. Bringing the story up to date, the book will also include practical information for the visitor, as well as a full compendium of historical facts and data.

South Africa's unique history has produced literatures in many languages, in both oral and written forms, reflecting the diversity in the cultural histories and experiences of its people. The Cambridge History offers a comprehensive, multi-authored history of South African literature in all eleven official languages (and more minor ones) of the country, produced by a team of over forty international experts, including contributors from all of the major regions and language groups of South Africa. It will provide a complete portrait of South Africa's literary production, organised as a chronological history from the oral traditions existing before colonial settlement, to the post-apartheid revision of the past. In a field marked by controversy, this volume is more fully representative than any existing account of South Africa's literary history. It will make a unique contribution to Commonwealth, international and postcolonial studies and serve as a definitive reference work for decades to come.