When a burning sun dips low enough on the horizon to touch the brown-black earth, that is when South Africa is at its very best – a blazing expanse of broad landscapes of sea and veld, dusty savannah and equally dusty pavements. It is a vast country, extending from pristine coastal plain to rugged mountain passes across wide stretches of semi desert and forest, hills and valleys. Even travelling South Africans are unprepared for the sheer scale and enormous diversity of this grand landscape. Every day, everywhere, there are new sights to behold and new experiences to share – a graceful old Cape Dutch homestead set against lush vineyards, blue-purple mountains, the demure smile of a Zulu bride, a bird on a wire. It is the sun, the sand, the textures, the colours and the sounds that conjure up the spirit of South Africa. This volume is a fine tribute to the country, its people and its land-, sea- and cityscapes. This is the face of the nation – the essence of South Africa.Sean Fraser graduated from Rhodes University with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies. He is the author of a number of coffee-table, reference, travel and guide books on the people and places of southern Africa, including the best-selling Seven Days in Cape Town, Picturesque South Africa, Cape Town A-Z and Gauteng A-Z, all published by Random House Struik. He lives in Cape Town with his wife and two sons.