| South Africa |
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| Geography | |
| Location: | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. |
| Area: | total: 1,219,912
sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Natural Resources: | Gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
| Population and Health | |
| Population: | 43,786,115 (July 2008 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years:
28.6% (male 6,295,422/female 6,219,283) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 14,114,838/female 14,737,791) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 927,932/female 1,490,849) (2008 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.501% (2008 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 17.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Death rate: | 22.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 58.26
deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population:
42.37 years male: 43.3 years female: 41.42 years (2008 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.11 children born/woman (2008 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.) |
| Literacy: | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.) |
| Economy | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $467.1 billion (2007 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $282.6 billion (2007 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 5.1% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $9,800 (2007 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture:
3.2% industry: 31.3% services: 65.5% (2007 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture:
9% industry: 26% services: 65% (2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 50% (2000 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 7.1% (2007 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | 20.6% of GDP (2007 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: | 4.4% (2007 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | Gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment |
| Currency (code): | Rand (ZAR) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
| Others | |
| Nationality: | noun: South
African(s) adjective: South African |
| Religions: |
Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, 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) |
| 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: | name: Pretoria
(administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) |
| Administrative divisions: | 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape |
| Independence: | 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) |
| National holidays: | Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
| Legal system: | based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Source : CIA The World Factbook |
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