<P> The name "South Africa" is derived from the country's geographic location at the southern tip of Africa . Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, reflecting its origin from the unification of four formerly separate British colonies . Since 1961 the long form name in English has been the "Republic of South Africa". In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid - Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid - Afrika . Since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages . </P> <P> Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning "south", is a colloquial name for South Africa, while some Pan-Africanist political parties prefer the term "Azania". </P> <P> South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human - fossil sites in the world . Archaeologists have recovered extensive fossil remains from a series of caves in Gauteng Province . The area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been termed "the Cradle of Humankind". The sites include Sterkfontein, one of the richest sites for hominin fossils in the world . Other sites include Swartkrans, Gondolin Cave Kromdraai, Coopers Cave and Malapa . Raymond Dart identified the first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, the Taung Child (found near Taung) in 1924 . Further hominin remains have come from the sites of Makapansgat in Limpopo, Cornelia and Florisbad in the Free State, Border Cave in KwaZulu - Natal, Klasies River Mouth in Eastern Cape and Pinnacle Point, Elandsfontein and Die Kelders Cave in Western Cape . </P> <P> These finds suggest that various hominid species existed in South Africa from about three million years ago, starting with Australopithecus africanus . There followed species including Australopithecus sediba, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo rhodesiensis, Homo helmei, Homo naledi and modern humans (Homo sapiens). Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 170,000 years . </P>

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