South Africa

§1. South Africa Introduction

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.

§2. South Africa Geography

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 km²
  land: 1,219,912 km²
  water: 0 km²
  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: 12.1%
  permanent crops: 0.79%
  other: 87.11% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  13,500 km² (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

§3. South Africa People

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.)

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.)

Median age:
  total: 24.1 years
  male: 23.3 years
  female: 25 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  -0.4% (2006 est.)

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

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

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.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
  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
  total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 60.66 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 64.31 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 56.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 42.73 years
  male: 43.25 years
  female: 42.19 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.2 children born/woman (2006 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.)

§4. South Africa Government

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

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)

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]; New National Party or NNP [leader NA]; 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, IPU,
  ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, 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, 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

§5. South Africa Economy

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):
  $534.6 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $186.8 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  4.6% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $12,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 3.4%
  industry: 31.6%
  services: 65.1% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  15.23 million economically active (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  25.2% (2005 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 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.6% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  17.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $65.91 billion
  expenditures: $70.62 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  37.7% of GDP (2005 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, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals,
  fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:
  4.5% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  215.9 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  197.4 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  10.14 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  6.739 billion kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  216,700 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  484,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
  2.35 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  2.35 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  28.32 million m³ (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
  $-9.584 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $50.91 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and
  equipment

Exports - partners:
  US 10.2%, UK 9.2%, Japan 9%, Germany 7.1%, Netherlands 4% (2004)

Imports:
  $52.97 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific
  instruments, foodstuffs

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:
  $20.16 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $44.33 billion (30 June 2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $487.5 million (2000)

Currency (code):
  rand (ZAR)

Exchange rates:
  rand per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407
  (2002), 8.6092 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. South Africa Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  4.844 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  19.5 million (2004)

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)

Television broadcast stations:
  556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .za

Internet hosts:
  460,572 (2005)

Internet users:
  3.6 million (2005)

§7. South Africa Transportation

Airports:
  728 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 146
  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: 13 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 582
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
  914 to 1,523 m: 300
  under 914 m: 248 (2005)

Pipelines:
  condensate 100 km; gas 1,052 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354 km
  (2004)

Railways:
  total: 20,872 km
  narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 436 km
    0.610-m gauge
  note: includes a 1,210 km commuter rail system (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 362,099 km
  paved: 73,506 km
  unpaved: 288,593 km (2002)

Merchant marine:
  total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 32,815 GRT/39,295 DWT
  by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2
  foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)
  registered in other countries: 8 (Panama 3, Seychelles 1, UK 4) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay

§8. South Africa Military

Military branches:
  South African National Defense Force (SANDF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Joint
    Operations, Joint Support, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service
    (2004)

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)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 10,354,769 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 4,927,757 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 512,407 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $3.55 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.5% (2005 est.)

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

§9. South Africa Transnational Issues

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 5,774 (Angola) 9,516 (Democratic Republic of
    Congo) 7,118 (Somalia) (2005)

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


<Factbook 2006>
