South Africa

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

29.00° S, 24.00° E

total: 1,219,090 sq km

land: 1,214,470 sq km

water: 4,620 sq km

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

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

total: 5,244 km

border countries (6): Botswana 1,969 km, Lesotho 1,106 km, Mozambique 496 km, Namibia 1,005 km, Swaziland 438 km, Zimbabwe 230 km

2,798 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

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

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

mean elevation:

elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m

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

agricultural land: 79.4%

arable land 9.9%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 69.2%

forest: 7.6%

other: 13% (2011 est.)

16,700 sq km (2012)

51.4 cu km (2011)

total: 12.5 cu km/yr (36%/7%/57%)

per capita: 271.7 cu m/yr (2005)

prolonged droughts

volcanism: the volcano forming Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, which last erupted in 2004, is South Africa's only active volcano

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

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

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

noun: South African(s)

adjective: South African

black African 80.2%, white 8.4%, colored 8.8%, Indian/Asian 2.5%

note: colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry (2014 est.)

IsiZulu (official) 22.7%, IsiXhosa (official) 16%, Afrikaans (official) 13.5%, English (official) 9.6%, Sepedi (official) 9.1%, Setswana (official) 8%, Sesotho (official) 7.6%, Xitsonga (official) 4.5%, siSwati (official) 2.5%, Tshivenda (official) 2.4%, isiNdebele (official) 2.1%, sign language 0.5%, other 1.6% (2011 est.)

Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

53,675,563

note: Statistics South Africa (the national statistical agency of South Africa) estimates the country's mid-year 2013 total population to be 52,981,991, which takes into account the findings of South Africa's 2011 census; 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2015 est.)

0-14 years: 28.43% (male 7,660,173/female 7,598,013)

15-24 years: 18.52% (male 4,937,169/female 5,002,201)

25-54 years: 41.07% (male 11,120,423/female 10,923,422)

55-64 years: 6.53% (male 1,628,183/female 1,874,946)

65 years and over: 5.46% (male 1,231,627/female 1,699,406) (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio: 52.1%

youth dependency ratio: 44.5%

elderly dependency ratio: 7.7%

potential support ratio: 13.1% (2015 est.)

total: 26.5 years

male: 26.2 years

female: 26.7 years (2015 est.)

1.33% (2015 est.)

20.75 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note: Zimbabweans are increasingly migrating into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2015 est.)

urban population: 64.8% of total population (2015)

rate of urbanization: 1.59% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Johannesburg (includes Ekurhuleni) 9.399 million; Cape Town (legislative capital) 3.66 million; Durban 2.901 million; PRETORIA (capital) 2.059 million; Port Elizabeth 1.179 million; Vereeniging 1.155 million (2015)

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

138 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

total: 32.99 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 36.62 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 29.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

total population: 62.34 years

male: 60.83 years

female: 63.87 years (2015 est.)

2.33 children born/woman (2015 est.)

8.9% of GDP (2013)

0.78 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

2.8 beds/1,000 population (2005)

improved:

urban: 99.6% of population

rural: 81.4% of population

total: 93.2% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0.4% of population

rural: 18.6% of population

total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

improved:

urban: 69.6% of population

rural: 60.5% of population

total: 66.4% of population

unimproved:

urban: 30.4% of population

rural: 39.5% of population

total: 33.6% of population (2015 est.)

18.92% (2014 est.)

6,836,500 (2014 est.)

138,400 (2014 est.)

25.6% (2014)

8.7% (2008)

6.2% of GDP (2013)

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2012)

total: 51.4%

male: 48%

female: 55.5% (2013 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of South Africa

conventional short form: South Africa

former: Union of South Africa

abbreviation: RSA

republic

name: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

geographic coordinates: 25.42° S, 28.13° E

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

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

31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule)

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved 4 December 1997, effective 4 February 1997; amended many times, last in 2013 (2015)

mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of South Africa

dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permission of the government

residency requirement for naturalization: 1 year

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 26 May 2014) note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 26 May 2014)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 21 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2019)

election results: Jacob ZUMA (ANC) reelected president by the National Assembly unopposed

description: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council of Provinces (90 seats; 10-member delegations appointed by each of the 9 provincial legislatures to serve 5-year terms; note - this council has special powers to protect regional interests, including safeguarding cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities) and the National Assembly (400 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held on 7 May 2014 (next to be held in 2019)

election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANC 60, DA 20, EFF 7, IFP 1, NFP 1, UDM 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 62.2%, DA 22.2%, EFF 6.4%, IFP 2.4%, NFP 1.6%, UDM 1.0%, other 4.2%; seats by party - ANC 249, DA 89, EFF 25, IFP 10, NFP 6, UDM 4, other 21

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice-president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes other judges and judicial executives, members of parliament, practicing lawyers and advocates, a teacher of law, and several members designated by the national president; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by terms of an Act of Parliament; Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly; other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 12-year non-renewable terms or until age 70

subordinate courts: High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts

African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]

African Independent Congress or AIC [Mandla GALD]

African National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]

African People's Convention or APC [Themba GODI]

Agamg SA [Andries TLOUAMMA]

Congress of the People or COPE [Mosiuoa LEKOTA]

Democratic Alliance or DA [Mmusi MAIMANE]

Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF [Julius MALEMA]

Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]

Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]

National Freedom Party or NFP [Zanele kaMAGWAZA-MSIBI]

Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania or PAC [Alton MPHETHI]

United Christian Democratic Party or UCDP [Isaac Sipho MFUNDISI]

United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]

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 Civic Organization or SANCO [Richard MDAKANE, national president]

note: COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the African National Congress

ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OECD (Enhanced Engagement, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that 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; the flag colors do not have any official symbolism, but the Y stands for the "convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity"; black, yellow, and green are found on the flag of the African National Congress, while red, white, and blue are the colors in the flags of the Netherlands and the UK, whose settlers ruled South Africa during the colonial era

note: the South African flag is one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Sudan's

springbok (antelope), king protea flower; national colors: red, green, blue, yellow, black, white

name: "National Anthem of South Africa"

lyrics/music: Enoch SONTONGA and Cornelius Jacob LANGENHOVEN/Enoch SONTONGA and Marthinus LOURENS de Villiers

note: adopted 1994; a combination of "N'kosi Sikelel' iAfrica" (God Bless Africa) and "Die Stem van Suid Afrika" (The Call of South Africa), which were respectively the anthems of the non-white and white communities under apartheid; official lyrics contain a mixture of Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English (i.e., the five most widely spoken of South Africa's 11 official languages); music incorporates the melody used in the Tanzanian and Zambian anthems

South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; and a stock exchange that is Africa’s largest and among the top 20 in the world.

Even though the country's modern infrastructure supports a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region, unstable electricity supplies retard growth. Economic growth has decelerated in recent years, slowing to just 1.5% in 2014. Unemployment, poverty, and inequality - among the highest in the world - remain a challenge. Official unemployment is roughly 25% of the work force, and runs significantly higher among black youth. Eskom, the state-run power company, is building three new power stations and is installing new power demand management programs to improve power grid reliability. Load shedding and resulting rolling blackouts gripped many parts of South Africa in late 2014 and early 2015 because of electricity supply constraints that resulted from technical problems at some generation units, unavoidable planned maintenance, and an accident at a power station in Mpumalanga province. The rolling black outs were the worst the country faced since 2008. Construction delays at two additional plants, however, mean South Africa will continue to operate on a razor thin margin; economists judge that growth cannot exceed 3% until electrical supply problems are resolved.

South Africa's economic policy has focused on controlling inflation; however, the country faces structural constraints that also limit economic growth, such as skills shortages, declining global competitiveness and frequent work stoppages due to strike action. The current government faces growing pressure from urban constituencies to improve the delivery of basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth.

$724 billion (2015 est.)

$714 billion (2014 est.)

$703.3 billion (2013 est.)

note: data are in 2015 US dollars

$317.3 billion (2015 est.)

1.4% (2015 est.)

1.5% (2014 est.)

2.2% (2013 est.)

$13,400 (2015 est.)

$13,200 (2014 est.)

$13,000 (2013 est.)

note: data are in 2015 US dollars

15.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

14.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

14.4% of GDP (2013 est.)

household consumption: 59.6%

government consumption: 20%

investment in fixed capital: 22.2%

investment in inventories: -0.6%

exports of goods and services: 31.5%

imports of goods and services: -32.7%

(2015 est.)

agriculture: 2.4%

industry: 30.3%

services: 67.4% (2015 est.)

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

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

1.7% (2015 est.)

20.86 million (2015 est.)

agriculture: 4%

industry: 18%

services: 66% (2014 est.)

25.9% (2015 est.)

25.1% (2014 est.)

35.9% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%: 1.2%

highest 10%: 51.7% (2009 est.)

62.5 (2013 est.)

59.3 (1994)

revenues: $84.15 billion

expenditures: $98.26 billion (2015 est.)

26.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

-4.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

45.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

44.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

1 April - 31 March

4.8% (2015 est.)

6.1% (2014 est.)

5.75% (31 December 2014)

7% (31 December 2009)

9.5% (31 December 2015 est.)

9.13% (31 December 2014 est.)

$97.33 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$107.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$172.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$192.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$218.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$245.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.007 trillion (31 December 2013)

$1.038 trillion (31 December 2012)

$855.7 billion (31 December 2011)

-$13.7 billion (2015 est.)

-$19.06 billion (2014 est.)

$85.14 billion (2015 est.)

$92.54 billion (2014 est.)

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

China 9.5%, US 7.1%, Japan 5.3%, Botswana 5.3%, Germany 5%, Namibia 5%, India 4.1% (2014)

$86.81 billion (2015 est.)

$98.87 billion (2014 est.)

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

China 15.5%, Germany 10.1%, Saudi Arabia 7.2%, US 6.7%, Nigeria 5.2%, India 4.6% (2014)

$44.28 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$49.09 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$145.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$137.1 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$164 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$157.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$143 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$135.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

rand (ZAR) per US dollar -

12.63 (2015 est.)

10.85 (2014 est.)

10.85 (2013 est.)

8.2 (2012 est.)

7.26 (2011 est.)

239 billion kWh (2012 est.)

211.6 billion kWh (2012 est.)

13.93 billion kWh (2013 est.)

9.428 billion kWh (2013 est.)

44.15 million kW (2013 est.)

90.4% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

4.4% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

4.5% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

0.7% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

3,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

414,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

15 million bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

456,500 bbl/day (2012 est.)

612,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

81,660 bbl/day (2012 est.)

137,900 bbl/day (2012 est.)

1.17 billion cu m (2013 est.)

4.889 billion cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

3.771 billion cu m (2013 est.)

15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

473.2 million Mt (2012 est.)

total subscriptions: 4.3 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2014 est.)

total: 79.5 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (2014 est.)

general assessment: the system is the best-developed and most modern in Africa

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 140 telephones per 100 persons; 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; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber-optic submarine cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia; the EASSy fiber-optic cable system connects with Europe and North America; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) operates 4 TV stations, 3 are free-to-air and 1 is pay TV; e.tv, a private station, is accessible to more than half the population; multiple subscription TV services provide a mix of local and international channels; well-developed mix of public and private radio stations at the national, regional, and local levels; the SABC radio network, state-owned and controlled but nominally independent, operates 18 stations, one for each of the 11 official languages, 4 community stations, and 3 commercial stations; more than 100 community-based stations extend coverage to rural areas (2007)

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

556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

.za

4.761 million (2012)

total: 24.8 million

percent of population: 46.9% (2014 est.)

566 (2013)

total: 144

over 3,047 m: 11

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 52

914 to 1,523 m: 65

under 914 m: 9 (2013)

total: 422

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 31

914 to 1,523 m: 258

under 914 m: 132 (2013)

1 (2013)

condensate 94 km; gas 1,293 km; oil 992 km; refined products 1,460 km (2013)

total: 20,986 km

standard gauge: 80 km 1.435-m gauge (80 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 19,756 km 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified)

other: 1,150 km (passenger rail, gauge unspecified, 1,115.5 km electrified) (2014)

total: 747,014 km

paved: 158,952 km

unpaved: 588,062 km (2014)

total: 3

by type: petroleum tanker 3

registered in other countries: 19 (Australia 1, Isle of Man 2, Mexico 1, NZ 1, Seychelles 1, Singapore 13) (2010)

major seaport(s): Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay

container port(s) (TEUs): Durban (2,712,975)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Mossel Bay

South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), South African Military Health Services (2013)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2012)

1.2% of GDP (2014)

1% of GDP (2013)

1.16% of GDP (2012)

1.14% of GDP (2011)

1.16% of GDP (2010)

South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration; the governments of South Africa and Namibia have not signed or ratified the text of the 1994 Surveyor's General agreement placing the boundary in the middle of the Orange River

refugees (country of origin): 40,133 (Somalia); 30,125 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 18,830 (Ethiopia); 6,217 (Zimbabwe); 6,035 (Republic of the Congo) (2014)

transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African economy