World Facts Index > South Africa > Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria
 Dutch
traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and
established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the
East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good
Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found
their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred
wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native
inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the
Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers
became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the
National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the
separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994
brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule.
Geography of South Africa
|
Location:
|
Southern Africa, at the
southern tip of the continent of Africa |
|
Coordinates:
|
29 00 S, 24 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 1,219,912 sq
km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island)
water: 0 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly less than twice
the size of Texas |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique
491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km |
|
Coastline:
|
2,798 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
Climate:
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mostly semiarid;
subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
|
Terrain:
|
vast interior plateau
rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain |
|
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m |
|
Natural resources:
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gold, chromium, antimony,
coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem
diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
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Natural hazards:
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prolonged droughts |
|
Environment current issues:
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lack of important arterial
rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control
measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers
from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in
acid rain; soil erosion; desertification |
|
Geography - note:
|
South Africa completely
surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
|
More Geography
Population of South Africa
|
Population:
|
48,782,756 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 29.7% (male 6,603,220/female 6,525,810)
15-64 years: 65% (male 13,955,950/female 14,766,843)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 905,870/female 1,429,944) |
|
Median age:
|
24.1 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
-0.4% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
60.66 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 42.73 years
male: 43.25 years
female: 42.19 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
2.2 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African |
|
Ethnic groups:
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black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%,
Indian 2.6% |
|
Religions:
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Christian 68% (includes most whites and
Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of
Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5% |
|
Languages:
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11 official languages, including Afrikaans,
English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic of
South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA |
|
Government type:
|
republic |
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Capital:
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Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the
legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
|
Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State,
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape |
|
Independence:
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31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa
became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum |
|
National holiday:
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Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
|
Constitution:
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10 December 1996; this new constitution was
certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President
MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being
implemented in phases |
|
Legal system:
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based on Roman-Dutch law and English common
law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE
(since 25 September 2008); Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25
September 2008); note - Thabo MBEKI resigned as president effective 25 September
2008; the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 25 September 2008);
Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25 September 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); Kgalema MOTLANTHE is serving out the term of
Thabo MBEKI. |
|
Legislative branch:
|
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly
(400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional
representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats,
10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has
special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and
linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the
new constitution on 3 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the
National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party
affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat
by the new constitution |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High
Courts; Magistrate Courts |
Economy
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of
natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy,
and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and
modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major
urban centers throughout the region. Growth has been robust since 2004, as
South Africa has reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global
commodities boom. However, unemployment remains high and outdated
infrastructure has constrained growth. At the end of 2007, South Africa began
to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom
suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating
"load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major
cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially
poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a
shortage of public transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally
conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a
budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to
low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income.
|
GDP:
|
$467.8 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
4.9% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$12,000 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 30.3%
services: 67.1% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4% |
|
Labor force:
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15.23 million economically active |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 30%
industry: 25%
services: 45% |
|
Unemployment:
|
26.6% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $65.91 billion
expenditures: $70.62 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1%
other: 0%
nuclear: 5.5% |
|
Industries:
|
mining (world's largest producer of
platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and
steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs |
|
Agriculture:
|
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
|
Exports:
|
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals,
machinery and equipment |
|
Export partners:
|
UK 10.9%, US 9.3%, Japan 8.5%, Germany 6.4%, China 5.3%,
Italy 4.5% |
|
Imports:
|
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products,
scientific instruments, foodstuffs |
|
Import partners:
|
Germany 15.2%, US 7.1%, UK 7%, China 7%, Saudi Arabia 6%,
Japan 6%, Iran 5.4%, France 4.4% |
|
Currency:
|
rand (ZAR) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
History
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