Johannesburg, South Africas commercial metropolis is a remarkable and rather daunting city where high-rise buildings cluster at the city centre and suburbs sprawl outwards, some becoming cities in their own right. Green and prosperous enclaves dotted with turquoise swimming pools contrast with dusty African townships. Interspersed among this vastness are great, flat-topped yellow hills and muddy settling tanks -the spoil-heaps and waste of a century of gold-mining.

Johannesburgs best shops and hotels can be found in the attractive northern areas of Rosebank and Sandton. A separate city, Sandton has the most opulent shopping malls. Sight seeing may include Museum Africa which focuses on the cultures of the indigenous peoples, the City Art Gallery, rich in Pre-Raphaelite and Impressionist paintings and with many South African artists represented.