2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape

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) (2006 est.)

Area

land

1,219,912 sq km

note

includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)

total

1,219,912 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

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. Geography South Africa

Birth rate

18.2 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Capital

geographic coordinates

29 12 S, 28 10 E

name

Pretoria (administrative capital)

note

Cape Town (legislative capital); Johannesburg(judicial capital)

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

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

Coastline

2,798 km

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

Country name

abbreviation

RSA

conventional long form

Republic of South Africa

conventional short form

South Africa

former

Union of South Africa

Death rate

22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Njesuthi 3,408 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Ethnic groups

black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)

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

Geographic coordinates

29 00 S, 24 00 E

Geography - note

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland People South Africa

Government type

republic

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

21.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

370,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

5.3 million (2003 est.)

Independence

31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum

Infant mortality rate

female

56.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

64.31 deaths/1,000 live births

total

60.66 deaths/1,000 live births

Irrigated land

14,980 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

total

4,862 km

Land use

arable land

12.1%

other

87.11% (2005)

permanent crops

0.79%

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)

Legal system

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law

Life expectancy at birth

female

42.19 years (2006 est.)

male

43.25 years

total population

42.73 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

85.7% (2003 est.) Government South Africa

male

87%

total population

86.4%

Location

Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

25 years (2006 est.)

male

23.3 years

total

24.1 years

National holiday

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Nationality

adjective

South African

noun

South African(s)

Natural hazards

prolonged droughts

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note

there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.)

Population

44,187,637

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 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.4% (2006 est.)

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)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.02 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Terrain

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Total fertility rate

2.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

Airports

731 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

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

total

146

under 914 m

13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

585 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 302

under 914 m

249 (2006)

Budget

expenditures

$75.93 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$72.15 billion

Currency (code)

rand (ZAR)

Currency code

ZAR

Current account balance

$-12.69 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$55.47 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Eric BOST

embassy

877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria

mailing address

P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001

telephone

[27] (12) 342-1048

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA

telephone

[1] (202) 232-4400

Disputes - international

South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500) and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River

Distribution of family income - Gini index

59.3 (1995)

Economic aid - recipient

$487.5 million (2000)

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.

Electricity - consumption

207 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

12.4 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

8.026 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

227.2 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

93.5%

hydro

1.1%

nuclear

5.5%

other

0% (2001)

Exchange rates

rand per US dollar - 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)

Exports

$59.15 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

Exports - partners

Japan 9.9%, UK 9.7%, US 9.5%, Germany 6.5%, Netherlands 4.6% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 265-1607

[27] (12) 342-2244

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s) general

Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications South Africa

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 South Africa

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

2.6%

industry

30.3%

services

67.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$13,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.5% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$200.5 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$576.4 billion (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

45.9% (1994)

lowest 10%

1.1%

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 This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$61.53 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Germany 14.2%, China 9.1%, US 7.9%, Japan 6.8%, Canada 6.3%, UK 5.6%, France 4.5%, Iran 4.2% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

7.1% (2006 est.)

Industries

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.za

Internet hosts

645,179 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

150 (2001)

Internet users

5.1 million (2005) Transportation South Africa

Investment (gross fixed)

17.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts

Labor force

16.09 million economically active (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

30%

industry

25%

services

45% (1999 est.)

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

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

elections

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

10,626,550 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

10,354,769

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

4,609,071 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

4,927,757

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

506,078 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

512,407

Merchant marine

by type

container 1, petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned

1 (Denmark 1)

registered in other countries

8 (Panama 3, UK 5) (2006)

total

3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,815 GRT/39,295 DWT

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$3.55 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.5% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in noncombat roles, dating back to World War I (2004)

Natural gas - consumption

2.23 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

2.23 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

28.32 million cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

502,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

398,000 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - production

229,900 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

condensate 100 km; gas 1,062 km; oil 966 km; refined products 1,354 km (2006)

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 [Anthony LEON, president]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO, 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

Population below poverty line

50% (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals

Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay Military South Africa

Public debt

32.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

17 million (2001)

Railways

narrow gauge

20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,868 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2005)

total

20,872 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

10,609 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 7,548 (Somalia), 5,764 (Angola) (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$23.74 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

73,506 km (including 239 km of expressways)

total

362,099 km

unpaved

288,593 km (2002)

South African National Defense Force (SANDF)

South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2005)

Telephone system

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

general assessment

the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa

international

country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

4.729 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

33.96 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

6 million (2000)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded sexual exploitation

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking in 2005

Unemployment rate

25.5% (2006 est.)