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:
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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 |
More Geography
Population of South Africa
|
Population:
|
43,997,828
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 2007 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 |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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National holiday:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
|
18 years of age;
universal |
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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.
|
GDP:
|
$533.2 billion (2005
est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
|
4.9% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$12,000 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 30.3%
services: 67.1% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4% |
|
Labor force:
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15.23 million
economically active |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 30%
industry: 25%
services: 45% |
|
Unemployment:
|
26.6% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $65.91
billion
expenditures: $70.62 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 5.5% |
|
Industries:
|
mining (world's
largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium),
automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery,
textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer,
foodstuffs |
|
Agriculture:
|
corn, wheat,
sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry,
mutton, wool, dairy products |
|
Exports:
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gold, diamonds,
platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and
equipment |
|
Export partners:
|
UK 10.9%, US 9.3%,
Japan 8.5%, Germany 6.4%, China 5.3%, Italy 4.5%
(2005) |
|
Imports:
|
machinery and
equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific
instruments, foodstuffs |
|
Import partners:
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Germany 15.2%, US
7.1%, UK 7%, China 7%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Japan 6%,
Iran 5.4%, France 4.4% (2005) |
|
Currency:
|
rand (ZAR) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S.
Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of
Congress |
South Africa
