Geography

Area: 1.2 million sq. km. (470,462 sq. mi.).

Cities: Capitals--administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town;
judicial, Bloemfontein. Other cities--Johannesburg, Durban, Port
Elizabeth.

Terrain: Plateau, savanna, desert, mountains, coastal plains.


Climate: moderate; similar to southern California.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--South African(s).

Annual growth rate (2006 World Bank Group): 1.1%.

Population (2007, 47.9 million): Composition--black 79.7%; white 9.1%;
colored 8.8%; Asian (Indian) 2.2%. Official figures from 2007 South African
Census at http://www.statssa.gov.za.


Languages: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho,
Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga (all official languages).

Religions: Predominantly Christian; traditional African, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish.


Education: Years compulsory--7-15 years of age for all children. The
South African Schools Act, Act 84 of 1996, passed by Parliament in 1996, aims to
achieve greater educational opportunities for black children, mandating a single
syllabus and more equitable funding for schools.

Health: Infant mortality rate (2007)--58 per 1,000 live births. Life
expectancy--52 yrs. women; 49 yrs. men. Health data from 2007 Census Report:
http://www.statssa.gov.za.

Government


Type: Parliamentary democracy.

Independence: The Union of South Africa was created on May 31, 1910; became a
sovereign state within British Empire in 1934; became a republic on May 31,
1961; left the Commonwealth in October 1968; rejoined the Commonwealth in June
1994.

Constitution: Entered into force February 3, 1997.

Branches: Executive--president (chief of state) elected to a 5-year term
by the National Assembly. Legislative--bicameral Parliament consisting of
490 members in two chambers. National Assembly (400 members) elected by a system
of proportional representation. National Council of Provinces consisting of 90
delegates (10 from each province) and 10 nonvoting delegates representing local
government. Judicial--Constitutional Court interprets and decides
constitutional issues; Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court for
interpreting and deciding nonconstitutional matters.

Administrative subdivisions: Nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Western Cape.

Political parties: African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA),
Congress of the People (COPE), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Vryheidsfront
Plus/Freedom Front Plus (FF+), Pan-African Congress (PAC), African Christian
Democratic Party (ACDP), United Democratic Movement (UDM), and Azanian Peoples
Organization (Azapo).

Suffrage: Citizens and permanent residents 18 and older.

Economy

GDP (2008): $277 billion.

Real GDP growth rate (2008): 3.1%.

GDP per capita (2008): $5,684.

Unemployment (fourth quarter 2008): 21.9%.

Natural resources: Almost all essential commodities, except petroleum products
and bauxite. It is the only country in the world that manufactures fuel from
coal.

Industry: Types--minerals, mining, motor vehicles and parts, machinery,
textiles, chemicals, fertilizer, information technology, electronics, other
manufacturing, and agro-processing.

Trade (2008): Exports--$79.5 billion; merchandise exports: minerals and
metals, motor vehicles and parts, agricultural products. Major markets--Japan,
U.S., Germany, China, U.K., Sub-Saharan Africa. Imports--$88.2 billion:
machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, textiles, and
scientific instruments. Major suppliers--Germany, China, U.S., Saudi
Arabia, Japan.

GDP composition (2008): Agriculture and mining (primary sector)--8%;
industry (secondary sector)--21%; services (tertiary sector)--71%.
World's largest producer of platinum, gold, and chromium; also significant coal
production.