Country name conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA 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 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 Coastline 2,798 km 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 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 Geography - note South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland Population 42,768,678
note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8% underenumeration based on a postenumeration survey); 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 2003 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 30% (male 6,460,273; female 6,377,090)
15-64 years: 65% (male 13,807,922; female 13,970,088)
65 years and over: 5% (male 864,441; female 1,288,864) (2003 est.) Median age total: 24.5 years
male: 24 years
female: 25 years (2002) Sex ratio at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African Ethnic groups black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6% Religions 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 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu Internet country code .za Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.) Government type republic National holiday Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) Legal system based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations International organization participation ACP, AfDB, BIS, C, ECA, 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, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC 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. High crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. 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. Exports - partners UK 12.8%, US 12.7%, Germany 9%, Japan 8.8%, Italy 5.8% (2002) Currency rand (ZAR) Currency code ZAR Exchange rates rand per US dollar - 10.54 (2002), 8.61 (2001), 6.94 (2000), 6.11 (1999), 5.53 (1998) Airports 727 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 143
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 50
914 to 1,523 m: 67
under 914 m: 11 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways total: 584
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 298
under 914 m: 252 (2002) Disputes - international managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River |
