South Africa/ Afrique du Sud

SOUTH AFRICA

Republic South Africa

GEOGRAPHY:

Location:----------------- Southern Africa
Area:
Total area:--- 1,219,912 sq. km
Land area:--- 1,219,912 sq. km
Capital city:------------- Pretoria (administrative); Cape town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
Natural Resources:---------------- Gold, Chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gems, diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas.

PEOPLE:
Population:---------------- 42,834,520
Literacy rate:-------------- 81.8% of total population, (Males:81.9%, Females:81.7%).
Languages:------------------ 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
Religious:----------------- Christians (most whites and coloreds and about 60% of blacks), Hindu (60% of Indians), 2%-Muslim.

VITAL STATISTICS:
Birth rate:------------- 26.89 (per 1,000 population) (1997)
Death rate:------------- 11.89 (per 1,000 population)
Infant Mortality rate:------------ 53.2 (deaths per 1,000 live births)
Fertility rate:--------------- 3.22 (per woman)
Life Expectancy at birth:
Total population:--- 56.29 (Males:54.4, Females:58.23).

GOVERNMENT:
Type of Government:-------------- Republic
Independence:-------------- May 31, 1910 (from UK)
President:-------------- Thabo Mbeki

ECONOMY:
GDP:--------------- purchasing power parity - $227 billion (1996)
GDP real growth rate:--- 3%
GDP per capita:--- $5,400
Inflation rate (consumer prices):------------- 9% (1996)
National budget:
Revenues:--- $30.5 billion
Expenditures:--- $38 billion
External Debt:-------------- $30 billion
Currency:--------------- 1 rand = 100 cents
Labor force:--------------- 14.2 million (1996)
Unemployment rate:---------------- 34% (an additional 11% underemployment) (1996)
Agriculture:---------------- Corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef.
Industries:--------------- Mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs.
Exports:---------------- $29.2 billion
Commodities:--- Gold, other materials and metals, food, chemicals.
Imports:---------------- $29.9 million
Commodities:--- Machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, oil, textiles, scientific instruments.

DEFENCE:
Defence Expenditures:--------------- Exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion, 2.2% of GDP.

Geography:South Africa is located on the Africa's southern tip. On the west is the Southern Atlantics Ocean and the Indian Ocean on the east and south.