conventional long form:
Republic of South Africa
conventional short form:
South Africa
Abbreviation:
RSA
Digraph:
SF
Type:
republic
Capital:
Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein
(judicial)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Eastern Transvaal, Kwa Zulu/Natal, Northern
Cape, Northern Transvaal, Northwest, Orange Free State,
Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging, Western Cape
note:
previously the administrative divisions consisted of 4 provinces;
Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there were 10 homelands not
recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei,
Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele,
KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)
Independence:
31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
Constitution:
27 April 1994 (interim constitution, replacing the constitution of 3
September 1984)
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 and head of government:
Executive President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy
Executive President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 10 May 1994); Deputy
Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994)
note:
any political party that wins 20% or more of the National Assembly
votes in a general election is entitled to name a Deputy Executive
President
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the Executive President
Legislative branch:
bicameral
National Assembly:
elections held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be held NA); results - ANC
62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF 2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%,
other 0.9%; seats - (400 total) ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7,
PAC 5, ACDP 2
Senate:
the Senate is composed of members who are nominated by the nine
provincial parliaments (which are elected in parallel with the
National Assembly) and has special powers to protect regional
interests, including the right to limited self-determination for
ethnic minorities; seats - (90 total) ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
note:
when the National Assembly meets in joint session with the Senate to
consider the provisions of the Constitution, the combined group is
referred to as the Constitutional Assembly
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
African National Congress (ANC), Cyril RAMAPHOSA; National Party (NP),
Frederik W. DE KLERK, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP),
Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Freedom Front (FF), Constand VILJOEN,
president; Democratic Party (DP); Pan Africanist Congress (PAC),
Clarence MAKWETU, president; African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)
note:
in addition to these seven parties which won seats in the National
Assembly, twelve other parties won votes in the national elections in
April 1994
Other political or pressure groups:
NA;;
Member of:
BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO (suspended), ICC, IDA,
IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU (suspended), LORCS, OAU, SACU, UN,
UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended), ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Harry Heinz SCHWARZ
chancery:
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 232-4400
consulate(s) general:
Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Princeton N. LYMAN
embassy:
877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083
mailing address:
P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone:
[27] (12) 342-1048
FAX:
[27] (12) 342-2244 or 2299
consulate(s) general:
Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag:
two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a
central green band which splits into a horozontal Y, the arms of which
end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a black isoceles
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
note:
prior to 26 April 1994 the flag was actually four flags in one - three
miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the
former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands
of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically
hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of
the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old
Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
@South Africa, Economy
Overview:
Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy
incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal
to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining
population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World,
including unemployment and lack of job skills. The main strength of
the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide
two-thirds of exports. Economic developments for the remainder of the
1990s will be driven largely by the new government's attempts to
improve black living conditions and to set the country on an
aggressive export-led growth path. The shrinking economy in recent
years has absorbed less than 5% of the more than 300,000 workers
entering the labor force annually. Local economists estimate that the
economy must grow between 5% and 6% in real terms annually to absorb
all of the new entrants.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $171 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$4,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.7% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
50% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$26.3 billion
expenditures:
$34 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (FY94
est.)
Exports:
$24.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
gold 27%, other minerals and metals 20-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3%
partners:
Italy, Japan, US, Germany, UK, other EC countries, Hong Kong
Imports:
$18.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles,
scientific instruments
partners:
Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy
External debt:
$17 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%; accounts for about 40% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
46,000,000 kW
production:
180 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
4,100 kWh (1991)
Industries:
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium),
automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel,
chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Agriculture:
accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified
agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products - cattle, poultry,
sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
transshipment center of heroin and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the
rise
Economic aid:
many aid packages for the new government are still being prepared;
current aid pledges include US $600 million over 3 years; UK $150
million over 3 years; Australia $21 million over 3 years
Currency:
1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
rand (R) per US$1 - 3.4551 (March 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992),
2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
@South Africa, Communications
Railroads:
20,638 km route distance total; 20,324 km of 1.067-meter gauge
trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km
of 610 mm gauge; substantial electrification of 1.067 meter gauge
Highways:
total:
188,309 km
paved:
54,013 km
unpaved:
crushed stone, gravel, improved earth 134,296 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km
Ports:
Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai
Merchant marine:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 213,273 GRT/201,043 DWT,
container 4, vehicle carrier 1
Airports:
total:
886
usable:
718
with permanent-surface runways:
140
with runways over 3,659 m:
5
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
10
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
213
Telecommunications:
the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest
capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines,
coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and
radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town,
Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; over 4,500,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine
cable; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
@South Africa, Defense Forces
Branches:
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) includes Army, Navy,
Air Force, and Medical Services of the former South Africa, the armed
forces of the former homelands, and the ANC and PAC military
components; the initial strength of the SANDF has been set at about
100,000 active duty members with plans to reduce it to about 40,000 by
1997; it is manned mostly by nonwhites, but the higher officer grades
are held by whites; the South African Police (SAP) have incorporated
the police forces of the former homelands since the elections of 1994;
a National Peacekeeping Force (NPKF) to ensure peaceful proceedures
during the 1994 elections was established briefly from the military
components of the principal political factions, but was dissolved on 2
June 1994, following the elections.
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 10,557,346; fit for military service 6,437,240; reach
military age (18) annually 431,832 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion, about 2.5% of GDP (FY93
budget)
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Header
Affiliation:
(dependent territory of the UK)
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Geography
Location:
Southern South America, in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the south
Argentine coast, southeast of the Falkland Islands
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total area:
4,066 sq km
land area:
4,066 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Rhode Island
note:
includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
NA km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate:
variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed
with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Terrain:
most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep,
glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic
origin with some active volcanoes
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse
vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
international agreements:
NA
Note:
the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide
good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on
South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to
approach the South Sandwich Islands
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, People
Population:
no indigenous population; there is a small military garrison on South
Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on
Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form:
none
Digraph:
SX
Type:
dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
Administrative divisions:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:
3 October 1985
Legal system:
English common law
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
Commissioner David Everard TATHAM (since August 1992; resident at
Stanley, Falkland Islands)
Legislative branch:
no elections
Judicial branch:
none
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Economy
Overview:
Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential
source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands
receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
Budget:
revenues:
$291,777
expenditures:
$451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
900 kW
production:
2 million kWh
consumption per capita:
NA (1992)
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Communications
Highways:
total:
NA
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA
Ports:
Grytviken on South Georgia
Airports:
total:
5
usable:
5
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
@Spain, Geography
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Portugal and France
Map references:
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
504,750 sq km
land area:
499,400 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
note:
includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera
Land boundaries:
total 1,903.2 km, Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km
Coastline:
4,964 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty
(plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal
enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the
islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas
Chafarinas
Climate:
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy
along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool
along coast
Terrain:
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees
in north
Natural resources:
coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum,
zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
31%
permanent crops:
10%
meadows and pastures:
21%
forest and woodland:
31%
other:
7%
Irrigated land:
33,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from untreated sewage and effluents
from the offshore production of oil and gas; air pollution;
deforestation; desertification
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber,
Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen
Oxides, Law of the Sea
Note:
strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
@Spain, People
Population:
39,302,665 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.25% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
11.05 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.82 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.71 years
male:
74.45 years
female:
81.21 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.4 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Spaniard(s)
adjective:
Spanish
Ethnic divisions:
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions:
Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%
Languages:
Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
95%
male:
97%
female:
93%
Labor force:
14.621 million
by occupation:
services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, construction 9% (1988)
@Spain, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form:
Spain
local short form:
Espana
Digraph:
SP
Type:
parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
Madrid
Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad
autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia,
Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia,
Navarra, Pais Vasco
note:
there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco
(Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
Independence:
1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday:
National Day, 12 October
Constitution:
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system:
civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
head of government:
Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy
Prime Minister Narcis SERRA y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister
Council of State:
is the supreme consultative organ of the government
Legislative branch:
bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes
Generales)
Senate (Senado):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (255 total) PSOE 117,
PP 107, CiU 15, PNV 5, IU 2, other 9
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
results by percent of party NA; seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141,
IU 18, CiU 17, PNV 5, CN 4, HB 2, other 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left:
Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Social Democratic Center (CDS),
Rafael Calvo ORTEGA; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe
GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general; Socialist Democracy Party (DS),
Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio
ANGUITA; United Left (IU) a coalition of parties including the PCE, a
branch of the PSOE, and other small parties, Julio ANGUITA
chief regional parties:
Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley and Miguel ROCA in
Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS and Jose
Antonio ARDANZA; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza;
Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS and Inaki ESNAOLA; Basque
Socialist Party (PSE), coalition of the PSE, EE and PSOE, Jose Maria
BANEGAS and Jon LARRINAGA; Andalusian Progress Party (PA), Pedro
PACHECO; Canarian Coalition (CN), Dimas MARTIN; Catalan Republican
Left, Angel COLOM; Galician Coalition, Senen BERNARDEZ; Aragonese
Regionalist Party (PAR), Jose Maria MUR Bernad; Valencian Union (UV),
Vicente GONZALEZ Lizondo, Manuel CAMPILLOS Martinez
Other political or pressure groups:
on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the
First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to
oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977)
include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the
Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent
Workers Syndical Union (USO); business and landowning interests; the
Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
Member of:
AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM,
CSCE, EBRD, AfDB, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), LORCS, MTRC, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA y Eiseley
chancery:
2700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 265-0190 or 0191
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy:
Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address:
APO AE 09642
telephone:
[34] (1) 577-4000
FAX:
[34] (1) 577-5735
consulate(s) general:
Barcelona
consulate(s):
Bilbao
Flag:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
@Spain, Economy