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 of South Africa
Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of
Africa
Coordinates:
29 00 S, 24 00 E
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
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:
contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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
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 of South Africa
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)
Median age:
24.1 years
Growth rate:
-0.4%
Infant mortality:
60.66 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.73 years male: 43.25 years female: 42.19 years
Fertility rate:
2.2 children born/woman
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
Literacy:
definition: age 15
and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of 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
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; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI; Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA; 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 (eligible for a second term)
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
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High
Courts; Magistrate Courts
Economy
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.
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold,
chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and
steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs
