South Africa Population: 49,004,031
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| Background | |
| 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 Far 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 beginning in 1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in 1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009. In January 2011, South Africa assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term. |
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| Geography | |
| South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland | |
| Location: | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa |
| Geographic coordinates: | 29 00 S, 24 00 E |
| Area: | total: 1,219,090 sq km land: 1,214,470 sq km water: 4,620 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) Size comparison: 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: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin |
| Climate: | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
| Terrain: | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m |
| Natural resources: | gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
| Land use: | arable land: 12.1% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.11% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 14,980 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | prolonged droughts volcanism: the volcano forming Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, which last erupted in 2004, is South Africa's only active volcano |
| Current Environment Issues: | 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 49,004,031 (July 2011 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 28.5% (male 6,998,726/female 6,959,542) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 16,287,314/female 15,972,046) 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 1,125,709/female 1,660,694) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 25 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.3 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.38% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 19.48 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 17.09 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -6.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 43.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 47.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 49.33 years male: 50.24 years female: 48.39 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.3 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 17.8% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 5.6 million (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 310,000 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: South African(s) adjective: South African |
| Ethnic groups: | black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) |
| Languages: | IsiZulu (official) 23.82%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.64%, Afrikaans (official) 13.35%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.39%, English (official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.93%, Xitsonga (official) 4.44%, siSwati (official) 2.66%, Tshivenda (official) 2.28%, isiNdebele (official) 1.59%, other 0.5% (2001 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) |
| Administrative divisions: | 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape |
| Independence: | 31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule) |
| National holiday: | Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
| Constitution: | 10 December 1996; note - certified by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996; was signed by then President MANDELA 10 December 1996; and entered into effect 4 February 1997 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Jacob ZUMA elected president; National Assembly vote - Jacob ZUMA 277, Mvume DANDALA 47, other 76 |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consisting of 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) and the National Assembly (400 seats; members elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held on 22 April 2009 (next to be held in April 2014) election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 65.9%, DA 16.7%, COPE 7.4%, IFP 4.6%, other 5.4%; seats by party - ANC 264, DA 67, COPE 30, IFP 18, other 21 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]; African National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]; Congress of the People or COPE [Mosiuoa LEKOTA]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Helen ZILLE]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]; Independent Democrats or ID [Patricia DE LILLE]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO]; United Christian Democratic Party or UCDP [Lucas MANGOPE]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president] note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Ebrahim RASOOL chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald H. GIPS embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 431-4000 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg |
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| 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 the 18th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis. State power supplier Eskom encountered problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2007 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2007 due to the electricity crisis and the subsequent global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009. Unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. 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 Africa's former economic policy was fiscally conservative, focusing on controlling inflation, and attaining a budget surplus. The current government largely follows the same prudent policies, but must contend with the impact of the global crisis and is facing growing pressure from special interest groups to use state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth. More than a quarter of South Africa's population currently receives social grants. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $524 billion (2010 est.) $509.8 billion (2009 est.) $518.5 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $357.3 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 2.8% (2010 est.) -1.7% (2009 est.) 3.6% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,700 (2010 est.) $10,400 (2009 est.) $10,600 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.5% industry: 30.8% services: 66.7% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 17.39 million economically active (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 9% industry: 26% services: 65% (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 24.9% (2010 est.) 24% (2009 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 50% (2000 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 44.7% (2000) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 65 (2005) 59.3 (1994) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (2010 est.) 7.2% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $107.4 billion expenditures: $127.1 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 32.3% of GDP (2010 est.) 29.8% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
| Industries: | mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 4.9% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 238.3 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 212.2 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 14.05 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 1.757 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 192,100 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 553,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 54,930 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 521,400 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 15 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 1.9 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 5.4 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 3.5 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$9.987 billion (2010 est.) -$11.33 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $85.83 billion (2010 est.) $66.54 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment |
| Exports - partners: | China 13.7%, US 10.1%, Japan 8.7%, Germany 7.3%, UK 7.1%, India 4.3% (2010) |
| Imports: | $81.86 billion (2010 est.) $66.01 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | China 13.4%, Germany 11.2%, US 7%, Saudi Arabia 5.3%, Japan 4.7%, Iran 4.3%, UK 4.3% (2010) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $43.83 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $39.68 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $80.52 billion (30 June 2010 est.) $73.84 billion (30 June 2009) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $119 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $117.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $72.97 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $72.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $1.013 trillion (31 December 2010) $704.8 billion (31 December 2009) $491.3 billion (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.38 (2010) 8.42 (2009) 7.9576 (2008) 7.05 (2007) 6.7649 (2006) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 4.32 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 34 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 46.436 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 105 telephones per 100 persons; consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: country code - 27; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber optic cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .za |
| Internet hosts: | 3.751 million (2010) |
| Internet users: | 4.42 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 578 (2010) country comparison to the world: 11 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 147 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 53 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 10 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 431 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 32 914 to 1,523 m: 261 under 914 m: 137 (2010) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 11 km; gas 908 km; oil 980 km; refined products 1,382 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 20,192 km narrow gauge: 19,756 km 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified); 122 km 0.750-m gauge; 314 km 0.610-m gauge (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 362,099 km paved: 73,506 km (includes 239 km of expressways) unpaved: 288,593 km (2002) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 4 by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 3 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 11 (Mexico 1, NZ 1, Seychelles 1, Singapore 3, UK 5) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay |
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| Military | |
| With the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete | |
| Military branches: | South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Military Intelligence, South African Military Health Services (2009) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2007) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 13,439,781 females age 16-49: 12,473,641 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 7,617,063 females age 16-49: 6,476,264 (2010 est.) |
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