I
Introduction
South
Africa,
southernmost country in Africa, bordered on the north by Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Swaziland; on the east and south
by the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Lesotho
forms an enclave in the northeastern part of the country.
South
Africa has a diverse and dramatic landscape. Most of the interior is
covered by high plateaus, which are separated from the country’s
long coastline by chains of tall mountains. South Africa is rich in
minerals such as gold and diamonds, and its industrial base grew up
around the mining industry.
Black
Africans comprise three quarters of South Africa’s population, and
whites, Coloureds (people of mixed race), and Asians (mainly
Indians) make up the remainder. Among the black population there are
numerous ethnic groups and 11 official languages. Until recently,
whites dominated the nonwhite majority population under the
political system of racial segregation known as apartheid. Apartheid
ended in the early 1990s, but South Africa is still recovering from
the racial inequalities in political power, opportunity, and
lifestyle. The end of apartheid led to the lifting of trade
sanctions against South Africa imposed by the international
community. It also led to a total reorganization of the government,
which since 1994 has been a nonracial democracy based on majority
rule.
South
Africa is divided into nine provinces. These provinces are Gauteng,
Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North-West Province, Free State,
Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. The
country has three capitals: Cape Town is the legislative capital;
Pretoria, the executive capital; and Bloemfontein, the judicial
capital.
II
Quick Facts
| People |
| Population |
43,647,658
(2002 estimate) |
|
| Population
growth |
| Population
growth rate |
0.02
percent (2002 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Population
density |
36
persons per sq km (2002 estimate) |
|
93
persons per sq mi (2002 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Largest
cities, with population |
| Cape
Town |
2,727,000
(1995 estimate) |
|
|
| Durban |
1,264,000
(1995 estimate) |
|
|
| Port
Elizabeth |
1,035,000
(1995 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Languages |
| 11
official languages: Afrikaans and English (European origin);
Zulu, Xhosa, siSwati, and Ndebele (Nguni language group);
Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, and Tswana (Sotho language
group); Tsonga; Venda |
|
|
| Health
and Education |
| Life
expectancy |
| Total |
45.4
years (2002 estimate) |
|
|
| Female |
45.7
years (2002 estimate) |
|
|
| Male |
45.2
years (2002 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Infant
mortality rate |
62
deaths per 1,000 live births (2002 estimate) |
|
| Population
per physician |
1,776
people (1996) |
|
|
| Literacy
rate |
| Total |
91.5
percent (2001 estimate) |
|
|
|
| Government |
| Form of
government |
Republic |
|
| Head of
government |
President |
|
| Voting
qualifications |
Universal
at age 18 |
|
| Agriculture |
| Chemical
products, petroleum and coal products, processed food and
beverages, transportation equipment, iron and steel |
|
|
| Mining |
| Gold,
platinum, uranium, diamonds, coal, iron ore, copper, nickel,
manganese |
|
|
| Major
exports |
| Gold,
nonindustrial diamonds, mineral products, manufactured goods,
vegetables, prepared foodstuffs |
|
|
| Major
imports |
| Machinery,
transportation equipment, chemical products, crude oil,
clothing, textiles |
|
|
| Energy,
Communications, and Transportation |
| Electricity
production |
| Electricity
from thermal sources |
92.74
percent (1999 estimate) |
|
|
| Electricity
from hydroelectric sources |
0.39
percent (1999 estimate) |
|
|
| Electricity
from nuclear sources |
6.87
percent (1999 estimate) |
|
|
| Number
of telephones per 1,000 people |
114
(2000) |
|
| Number
of televisions per 1,000 people |
134
(1997 estimate) |
|
| Number
of Internet hosts per 10,000 people |
43
(2000) |
|
| Daily
newspaper circulation per 1,000 people |
30
(1996) |
|
| Number
of motor vehicles per 1,000 people |
143
(1999) |
|
| "Facts
about Africa!" content provided by ©2002 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved. |
|
