from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide
port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have
established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland"
and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their
secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the
undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning
as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden
and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the
clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the
border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 1.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for
resources) (2007)
page last updated on January 19, 2011
======================================================================
@South Africa (Africa)
Introduction ::South Africa
Background:
Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa
in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between
the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town.
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of
the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own
republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred
wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native
inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were
defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the
Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together beginning in
1910 under the Union of South Africa, which became a republic in
1961 after a whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was
voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate
development of the races - which favored the white minority at the
expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC)
led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as
Nelson MANDELA, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal
protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations
and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to
negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first
multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and
ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa
since then has struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in
decent housing, education, and health care. ANC infighting, which
has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 when
President Thabo MBEKI resigned, and Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's
General-Secretary, succeeded him as interim president. Jacob ZUMA
became president after the ANC won general elections in April 2009.
In January 2011, South Africa assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN
Security Council for the 2011-12 term.
Geography ::South Africa
Location:
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Geographic coordinates:
29 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,219,090 sq km
country comparison to the world: 25
land: 1,214,470 sq km
water: 4,620 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island)
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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
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:
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds,
platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 12.1%
permanent crops: 0.79%
other: 87.11% (2005)
Irrigated land:
14,980 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
50 cu km (1990)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 12.5 cu km/yr (31%/6%/63%)
per capita: 264 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
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
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
Environment - international agreements:
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
Geography - note:
South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely
surrounds Swaziland
People ::South Africa
Population:
49,109,107
country comparison to the world: 25
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, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2010 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.9% (male 7,093,328/female 7,061,579)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 16,275,424/female 15,984,181)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,075,117/female 1,562,860) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.7 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 25 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.051% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Birth rate:
19.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
Death rate:
16.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
Net migration rate:
-3.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 185
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa
and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2010 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.78 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 61
male: 47.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.2 years
country comparison to the world: 215
male: 50.08 years
female: 48.29 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.33 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
18.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5.7 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
350,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African
Ethnic groups:
black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001
census)
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 (official) 23.8%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.6%, Afrikaans
(official) 13.3%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.4%, English (official) 8.2%,
Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga
(official) 4.4%, other 7.2%, isiNdebele (official), Tshivenda
(official), siSwati (official) (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 87%
female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
5.4% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 49
Government ::South Africa
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 holiday:
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution:
10 December 1996; note - certified by the Constitutional Court on 4
December 1996; was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December
1996; and entered into effect on 4 February 1997
Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Executive
Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009);
Executive Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6
May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Jacob ZUMA elected president; National Assembly
vote - Jacob ZUMA 277, Mvume DANDALA 47, other 76
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of 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) and the National
Assembly (400 seats; members elected by popular vote under a system
of proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces -
last held on 22 April 2009 (next to be held in April 2014)
election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - ANC 65.9%, DA 16.7%, COPE 7.4%, IFP 4.6%, other 5.4%;
seats by party - ANC 264, DA 67, COPE 30, IFP 18, other 21
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts;
Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders:
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]; African
National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]; Congress of the People or
COPE [Mosiuoa LEKOTA]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Helen ZILLE];
Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]; Independent Democrats or
ID [Patricia DE LILLE]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu
BUTHELEZI]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO]; United
Christian Democratic Party or UCDP [Lucas MANGOPE]; United
Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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 Civics
Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]
note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO,
NAM, NSG, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ebrahim RASOOL
chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald H. GIPS
embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria
mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: [27] (12) 431-4000
FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag description:
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 the only national flag to display
six colors as part of its primary design
National anthem:
name: "National Anthem of South Africa"
lyrics/music: Enoch SONTONGA and Cornelius Jacob LANGENHOVEN/Enoch
SONTONGA and Marthinus LOURENS de Villiers
note: adopted 1994; the anthem is 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; the official lyrics
contain a mixture of Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English;
the music incorporates the melody used in the Tanzanian and Zambian
anthems
Economy ::South Africa
Economy - overview:
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
is the 18th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure
supporting a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major
urban centers throughout the region. At the end of 2007, South
Africa began to experience an electricity crisis. State power
supplier Eskom encountered problems with aged plants, necessitating
"load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major
cities. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2007 as South Africa reaped
the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities
boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2007 due to the
electricity crisis and the subsequent global financial crisis'
impact on commodity prices and demand. GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009.
Unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has
constrained growth. Daunting economic problems remain from the
apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment
among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public
transportation. South Africa's former economic policy was fiscally
conservative, focusing on controlling inflation, and attaining a
budget surplus. The current government largely follows the same
prudent policies, but must contend with the impact of the global
crisis and is facing growing pressure from special interest groups
to use state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to
low-income areas and to increase job growth. More than one-quarter
of South Africa's population currently receives social grants.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$527.5 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
$512.2 billion (2009 est.)
$521.6 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$354.4 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
-1.8% (2009 est.)
3.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$10,700 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
$10,400 (2009 est.)
$10,700 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 31.2%
services: 65.8% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
17.32 million economically active (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 9%
industry: 26%
services: 65% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
23.3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
24% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
65 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 2
59.3 (1994)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
Public debt:
33.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
29.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
7.2% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
7% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 37
11.5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
11.71% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
15.13% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$65.87 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 41
$52.04 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$256.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
$199.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$328.3 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
$255.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$704.8 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 18
$491.3 billion (31 December 2008)
$833.5 billion (31 December 2007)
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:
3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
Electricity - production:
240.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
Electricity - consumption:
215.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Electricity - exports:
14.16 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
10.57 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
191,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - consumption:
579,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
Oil - exports:
128,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Oil - imports:
490,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Oil - proved reserves:
15 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
Natural gas - production:
3.25 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - consumption:
6.45 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
Natural gas - imports:
3.2 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Natural gas - proved reserves:
27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
Current account balance:
-$16.51 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
-$11.3 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$76.86 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
$66.54 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and
equipment
Exports - partners:
China 10.34%, US 9.19%, Japan 7.59%, Germany 7.01%, UK 5.54%,
Switzerland 4.72% (2009)
Imports:
$77.04 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
$66.01 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific
instruments, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
China 17.21%, Germany 11.24%, US 7.38%, Saudi Arabia 4.87%, Japan
4.67%, Iran 3.95% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$45.52 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
$39.68 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$80.52 billion (30 June 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
$73.84 billion (30 June 2009)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$83.08 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
$73.61 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$53.38 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
$51.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.38 (2010), 8.4234 (2009), 7.9576
(2008), 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006)
Communications ::South Africa
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.32 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 33
Telephones - mobile cellular:
46.436 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 26
Telephone system:
general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern
in Africa
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity
roughly 105 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 cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic
Ocean)
Broadcast media:
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)
Internet country code:
.za
Internet hosts:
3.751 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 24
Internet users:
4.42 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54
Transportation ::South Africa
Airports:
578 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 11
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 147
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 53
914 to 1,523 m: 67
under 914 m: 10 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 431
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
914 to 1,523 m: 261
under 914 m: 137 (2010)
Heliports:
1 (2010)
Pipelines:
condensate 11 km; gas 908 km; oil 980 km; refined products 1,379 km
(2009)
Railways:
total: 20,872 km
country comparison to the world: 14
narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified); 436 km
0.610-m gauge (2008)