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| Introduction |
South Africa |
|
Background: |
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). The
resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the
separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid
politically and ushered in black majority rule. |
|
Location: |
Southern Africa, at the
southern tip of the continent of Africa |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
29 00 S, 24 00 E |
|
Map references: |
Africa |
|
Area: |
total: 1,219,912 sq km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island) |
|
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: |
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, uranium, gem diamonds,
platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 12.08%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.13% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land: |
13,500 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards: |
prolonged droughts |
|
Environment - current 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 |
|
Environment - international 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 |
|
Geography - note: |
South Africa completely
surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
|
|
Population: |
44,344,136
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 and death rates, lower population and growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than
would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 30.3% (male
6,760,137/female 6,682,013)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male
13,860,727/female 14,750,496)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male
893,360/female 1,397,403) (2005 est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 23.98 years
male: 23.12 years
female: 24.86 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate: |
-0.31% (2005 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
18.48 births/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
21.32 deaths/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
-0.22 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.02
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64
male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005
est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 61.81
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 57.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 43.27
years
male: 43.47 years
female: 43.06 years (2005
est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
2.24 children born/woman (2005
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
21.5% (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
5.3 million (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
370,000 (2003 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: |
Zion Christian 11.1%,
Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch
Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%,
unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) |
|
Languages: |
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%,
Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%,
Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census) |
|
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.) |
|
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: |
Pretoria; note - Cape Town is
the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
|
Administrative divisions: |
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free
State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern
Cape, Western Cape |
|
Independence: |
31 May 1910 (from UK); note -
South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960
referendum |
|
National holiday: |
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
|
|
Constitution: |
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: |
based on Roman-Dutch law and
English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
|
|
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President
Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President
Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the
National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 April 2004
(next to be held April 2009)
election results: Thabo MBEKI
elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by
acclamation)
note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition |
|
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
elections: National Assembly and
National Council of Provinces - last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held
NA 2009)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%,
other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6,
other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA |
|
Judicial branch: |
Constitutional Court; Supreme
Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
African Christian Democratic
Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or
ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance or DA (formed from the
merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA)
[Anthony LEON]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI,
president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president];
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 - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
|
|
International organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO,
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
|
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA
chancery: 3051
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 232-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607
consulate(s)
general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jendayi E. FRAZER
embassy: 877 Pretorius Street,
Pretoria
mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048
FAX: [27] (12)
342-2244
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
|
|
Flag description: |
two equal width horizontal
bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits
into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist
side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are
separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated
from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes |
|
Economy - overview: |
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 ranks among the 10 largest in the
world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of
goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has
not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and
daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially
poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups.
South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic,
focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to
increase job growth and household income. |
|
GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$491.4 billion (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
3.5% (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$11,100 (2004 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 31.2%
services: 65.2% (2004 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed): |
16.7% of GDP (2004 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
50% (2000 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 45.9% (1994) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
59.3 (1993-94) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
4.5% (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
16.63 million economically
active (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture 30%, industry 25%,
services 45% (1999 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
26.2% (includes workers no
longer looking for employment) (2004 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $47.43 billion
expenditures: $52.54 billion, including capital expenditures of
NA (2004 est.) |
|
Public debt: |
45.9% of GDP (2004 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, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs,
commercial ship repair |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
5.5% (2004 est.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
202.6 billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1%
nuclear: 5.5%
other: 0%
(2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
189.4 billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
6.95 billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
7.873 billion kWh (2002) |
|
Oil - production: |
196,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption: |
460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
NA |
|
Oil - imports: |
NA |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
7.84 million bbl (1 January
2002) |
|
Natural gas - production: |
1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
14.16 billion cu m (1 January
2002) |
|
Current account balance: |
$-2.48 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$41.97 billion f.o.b. (2004
est.) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
gold, diamonds, platinum, other
metals and minerals, machinery and equipment (1998 est.) |
|
Exports - partners: |
US 10.2%, UK 9.2%, Japan 9%,
Germany 7.1%, Netherlands 4% (2004) |
|
Imports: |
$39.42 billion f.o.b. (2004
est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
machinery and equipment,
chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs (2000
est.) |
|
Imports - partners: |
Germany 14.2%, US 8.5%, China
7.5%, Japan 6.9%, UK 6.9%, France 6%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%, Iran 5% (2004)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$11.68 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Debt - external: |
$27.01 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$487.5 million (2000) |
|
Currency: |
rand (ZAR) |
|
Currency code: |
ZAR |
|
Exchange rates: |
rand per US dollar - 6.4597
(2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31 March
|
| Communications |
South Africa |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
4.844 million (2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
16.86 million (2003) |
|
Telephone system: |
general assessment: the
system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: 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; 2 submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic
Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243
repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
|
Radios: |
17 million (2001) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
556 (plus 144 network
repeaters) (1997) |
|
Televisions: |
6 million (2000) |
|
Internet country code: |
.za |
|
Internet hosts: |
288,633 (2003) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
150 (2001) |
|
Internet users: |
3.1 million (2002)
|
| Transportation |
South Africa |
|
Railways: |
total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified);
314 km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail
system (2003) |
|
Highways: |
total: 275,971 km
paved: 57,568 km (including 2,032 km of expressways)
unpaved: 218,403 km (2002) |
|
Pipelines: |
condensate 100 km; gas 1,052
km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors: |
Cape Town, Durban, East London,
Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha |
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 2 ships (1,000
GRT or over) 31,505 GRT/37,091 DWT
by type: container 1,
petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
registered in other countries: 7 (2005) |
|
Airports: |
728 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 144
over
3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437
m: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 67
under 914 m: 11 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 584
1,524
to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 300
under 914 m:
250 (2004 est.) |
|
Military branches: |
South African National Defense
Force (SANDF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Health Service (2002) |
|
Military manpower - military age and obligation: |
18 years of age for voluntary
military service; women have a long history of military service in
non-combat roles - dating back to World War I (2004) |
|
Military manpower - availability: |
males age 18-49:
10,354,769 (2005 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
4,927,757 (2005 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually: |
males: 512,407 (2005
est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$3.172 billion (2004) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.5% (2004) |
|
Military - note: |
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 |
| Transnational Issues |
South Africa |
|
Disputes - international: |
South Africa has placed
military along the border to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to
find work and escape political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia
over the location of the boundary in the Orange River |
|
Illicit drugs: |
transshipment center for
heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise;
world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported
illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit
cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the
increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the
region |
|
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