2010 FIFA World Cup™ Information

The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is the world’s most watched sporting event and as such generates a great amount of news and information, both from direct and indirect sources. Below are some links that will give you more information about the tournament itself, as well as additional information about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html. The Official Website of the FIFA World Cup™
http://www.sa2010.gov.za. The official South African Government website detailing everything you need to know about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™
http://www.project2010.co.za. Preparing South Africa and the world for 2010.
http://www.shine2010.co.za/. This website is a great source for the latest news articles about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, South African infrastructural development, current events related to the tournament and team rankings.
http://www.kickoff.com/. The online home to Kick-Off Soccer Magazine, this site is a true sports enthusiasts’ haven. Full of information on score updates, club rankings, international leagues, and other important sport information, Kick-Off will leave no question unanswered about the game of football.
http://www.southafrica.info/2010/. The popular “Gateway to the Nation�? site has its own 2010 FIFA World Cup™ information portal, containing information on special soccer-related travel needs, sports updates, and various sports and travel blogs.

South African Information

From the sweeping Highveld of Johannesburg to towering Table Mountain in Cape Town, travelling to and around the Rainbow Nation has never been easier or more exciting. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the entire world will gain a striking insight into the beauty of South Africa as a country, and will experience all that our diverse country has to offer. For more information on making your way to South Africa, and what to do once you’re here, please visit these helpful internet sites:

http://www.southafrica.net. South Africa's official tourism website - the most comprehensive online source of information on travel to and around South Africa.
http://www.southafrica.info/. This website, South Africa’s official information gateway, supplies all of the practical information needed for travelling to South Africa, and what to do when here.
http://www.onlinetravel.co.za/. Confused about what hotel to stay in once you get to South Africa? Baffled by the choice of great budget airlines (and why one of our airlines is called Mango)? Visit Onlinetravel.co.za and let them compare the prices for you! Booking a trip in South Africa has never been easier.
http://www.sa-venues.com/2010.htm. With excellent information about activities to do once you get to South Africa, as well as great detail on each stadium being built, this site will leave you with a long list of things to do, and maps of how to get there too!
http://www.zuidafrika2010.net. A state-of-the-art website and great source with info, news and background articles about the build-up to the World Cup 2010.
http://www.news24.co.za. Online news portal for all the latest news about South Africa.
http://www.iol.co.za. The Independent Newspaper Group’s online news portal for South Africa.
http://www.gov.za. The South African Government’s official website.

Partner Galleries

The official partner gallery of 2010 Fine Art in South Africa is Kizo Art Gallery, located in the Umhlanga area of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal. Surrounded by warm, sandy beaches and lush green hills covered in sugarcane, Durban provides the perfect natural beauty, along with a truly cosmopolitan city, to host the 2010 Fine Art Collection. Through Kizo Art Gallery, the 2010 Fine Art Collection will be showcased across South Africa, and at partner galleries across the world. www.kizo.co.za.

Useful Information (time zones; currency converter, maps, South African slang etc.)

Time Zone: South Africa’s time zone lies two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2). We do not participate in daylight savings time.
Currency: The official currency of South Africa is the South African Rand (ZAR), abbreviated with an “R�? in front of the numerical amount. There are five colourful paper bills in the currency, a R10, R20, R50, R100, and R200, and coin denominations varying from multiple cent coins, to R1, R2, and R5 coins. For live exchange rates, please visit http://www.xe.com.
Land: South Africa’s terrain is as diverse as its people, varying from the lush vineyards outside of Cape Town to the dry climates in the Limpopo Province in the North of the country. Excellent maps of South Africa can be found on http://maps.google.com, as well as GoogleEarth http://earth.google.com.
Weather: With South Africa taking up roughly the same amount of land as twice the size of the US State of Texas, weather patterns can be quite different from place to place, and change rapidly. Not to mention that while the Northern Hemisphere is in its summer months during the June-August Soccer Season, South Africa will be in the middle of its winter season. Live weather reports and seven-day forecasts are available at http://www.weathersa.co.za, so you can find out exactly what kind of clothes you need to take with you on your visit to South Africa.
Language: With over 11 different official languages, speaking to people in South Africa can be very interesting, to say the least! Although English is spoken widely throughout the entire country, you will hear dialects of Afrikaans in the Western Cape around Cape Town, Xhosa in the Eastern Cape around Port Elizabeth, Zulu in KwaZulu-Natal around Durban, and all of the above languages, plus many more, in Gauteng around Johannesburg and Pretoria. Want to know what people are talking about when they ask if you want a lekker piece of boerewors or biltong? Visit http://www.southafrica.info to understand just what the locals are saying.