1992 Edition

Climate

mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights

Coastline

2,881 km

Comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Continental shelf

200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation

Disputes

claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay exclave and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa; South Africa and Namibia have agreed to jointly administer the area for an interim period; the terms and dates to be covered by joint administration arrangements have not been established at this time; and Namibia will continue to maintain a claim to sovereignty over the entire area

Environment

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Land area

1,221,040 km2; includes Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island

Land boundaries

4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

Land use

arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 65%; forest and woodland 3%; other 21%; includes irrigated 1%

Natural resources

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Note

Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

Terrain

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

1,221,040 km2

Birth rate

34 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%

Infant mortality rate

50 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

11,000,000 economically active (1989); services 34%, agriculture 30%, industry and commerce 29%, mining 7% (1985)

Languages

Afrikaans, English (both official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana

Life expectancy at birth

62 years male, 67 years female (1992)

Literacy

76% (male 78%, female 75%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

Nationality

noun - South African(s); adjective - South African

Net migration rate

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

about 17% of total labor force belongs to a registered trade union (1989); African unions represent 15% of black labor force

Population

41,688,360 (July 1992), growth rate 2.6% (1992); includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US

four independent homelands: Bophuthatswana 2,489,347, growth rate 2.86%; Ciskei 1,088,476, growth rate 2.99%; Transkei 4,746,796, growth rate 4.13%; Venda 718,207, growth rate 3.81% six other homelands: Gazankulu 803,806, growth rate 3.96%; Kangwane 597,783, growth rate 3.60%; KwaNdebele 373,012, growth rate 3.40%; KwaZulu 5,748,950, growth rate 3.58%; Lebowa 2,924,584, growth rate 3.90%; QwaQwa 288,155, growth rate 3.60%

Religions

most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks are Christian; about 60% of Indians are Hindu; Muslim 20%

Total fertility rate

4.4 children born/woman (1992)

Administrative divisions

4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)

Capital

Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)

Chief of State and Head of Government

State President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)

Colored political parties and leaders

Labor Party (LP), Allan HENDRICKSE (majority party); Freedom Party; note - the Democratic Reform Party (DRP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) were disbanded in May 1991

Communists

South African Communist Party, Chris HANI, secretary general, and Joe SLOVO, national chairman

Constitution

3 September 1984

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Harry SCHWARZ; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York US: Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266, FAX [27] (12) 21-92-78; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg

Executive branch

state president, Executive Council (cabinet), Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)

Flag

actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

House of Assembly (whites)

last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by NA March 1995); results - NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats - (178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34; note - by February 1992 because of byelections, changes in number of seats

held by parties were as follows

NP 102, CP 42, DP 33, vacant 1

House of Delegates (Indians)

last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, independents 6, other 6; note - due to delegates changing party affiliation, seating as of February 1992

independents 5, vacancy 1

is as follows

Solidarity 25, NPP 7, Merit People's Party 2, other 5,

House of Representatives (Coloreds)

last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2; note - since the National Party became multiracial, by February 1992 many representatives from other parties have changed their allegiance causing the following changes in

seating

LP 39, NP 38, Freedom Party 1, independents 7

Independence

31 May 1910 (from UK)

Indian political parties and leaders

Solidarity, J. N. REDDY (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand RAJBANSI; Merit People's Party

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

tricameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of the House of Assembly (Volksraad; whites), House of Representatives (Raad van Verteenwoordigers; Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Raad van Afgevaardigdes; Indians)

Long-form name

Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA

Member of

BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO (suspended), ICC, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU (suspended), LORCS, SACU, UN, UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended)

National holiday

Republic Day, 31 May (1910)

Other political or pressure groups

African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president

Political parties and leaders

white political parties and leaders: National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. TREURNICHT (official opposition party); Democratic Party (DP), Zach DE BEER

Suffrage

universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based

Type

republic

Agriculture

accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products - cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues $29.4 billion; expenditures $35.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (FY93 est.)

Currency

rand (plural - rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents

Economic aid

NA

Electricity

46,000,000 kW capacity; 180,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

rand (R) per US$1 - 2.7814 (January 1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987)

Exports

$24.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: gold 25-30%, minerals and metals 20-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3% partners: Italy, Japan, US, FRG, UK, other EC members, Hong Kong

External debt

$19.0 billion (December 1991)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $104 billion, per capita $2,600; real growth rate - 0.5% (1991 est.)

Imports

$18.8 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals partners: FRG, Japan, UK, US, Italy

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for about 40% of GDP

Industries

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15.7% (March 1992)

Overview

Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of less than 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the 5% to 6% level needed to absorb some 300,000 new entrants to the labor force annually. Economic developments in the 1990s will be driven partly by the changing relations among the various ethnic groups.

Unemployment rate

40% (1991); well over 50% in some homeland areas (1991 est.)

Airports

901 total, 732 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 224 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

90 major transport aircraft

Highways

188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth

Merchant marine

5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 213,708 GRT/201,043 DWT; includes 4 container, 1 vehicle carrier

Pipelines

crude oil 931 km, petroleum products 1,748 km, natural gas 322 km

Ports

Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay

Railroads

20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge

Telecommunications

the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; over 4,500,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Branches

South African Defense Force (SADF; including Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services), South African Police (SAP)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $3.5 billion, about 3% of GDP (FY92)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 10,051,202; 6,133,484 fit for military service; 420,275 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is one year; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US