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.

Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

29 00 S, 24 00 E

Africa

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)

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

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

2,798 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

arable land: 9.87%
permanent crops: 0.34%
other: 89.79% (2011)

16,700 sq km (2012)

51.4 cu km (2011)

total: 12.5 cu km/yr (36%/7%/57%)
per capita: 271.7 cu m/yr (2005)

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

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

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

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African

black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)

IsiZulu (official) 23.82%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.64%, Afrikaans (official) 13.35%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.39%, English (official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.93%, Xitsonga (official) 4.44%, siSwati (official) 2.66%, Tshivenda (official) 2.28%, isiNdebele (official) 1.59%, other 0.5% (2001 census)

Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

48,601,098 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
note: Statistics South Africa (the national statistical agency of South Africa) estimates the country's mid-year 2013 total population to be 52,981,991, which takes into account the findings of South Africa's 2011 census; 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

0-14 years: 28.3% (male 6,909,066/female 6,866,163)
15-24 years: 20.6% (male 5,041,412/female 4,960,190)
25-54 years: 38.1% (male 9,561,452/female 8,948,398)
55-64 years: 6.9% (male 1,450,420/female 1,916,960)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,177,999/female 1,769,038) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 53.9 %
youth dependency ratio: 45.4 %
elderly dependency ratio: 8.5 %
potential support ratio: 11.7 (2013)

total: 25.5 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 25.8 years (2013 est.)

-0.45% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222

19.14 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94

17.36 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1

-6.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 197
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2013 est.)

urban population: 62% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 1.21% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Johannesburg 3.607 million; Cape Town 3.353 million; Ekurhuleni (East Rand) 3.144 million; Durban 2.837 million; PRETORIA (capital) 1.404 million (2009)

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

22.5 (2003 est.)

300 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 39

total: 42.15 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 52
male: 45.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 49.48 years
country comparison to the world: 222
male: 50.43 years
female: 48.51 years (2013 est.)

2.25 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100

59.9% (2003/04)

8.5% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 54

0.76 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

2.8 beds/1,000 population (2005)

17.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4

5.6 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1

310,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1

degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)

31.3% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 24

11.6% (2005)
country comparison to the world: 63

6% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 38

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 93.9%
female: 92.2% (2011 est.)

total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2004)

total: 51.5%
country comparison to the world: 6
male: 47.1%
female: 56.9% (2012)

conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA

republic

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)

9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape

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)

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved 4 December 1997, effective 4 February 1997; amended many times, last in 2013 (2013)

mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); 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); Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

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

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

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice-president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Joint Services Commission (JSC), a 22-member body of judicial and other government officials, and a law academics; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service in terms of an Act of Parliament; Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly; other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 12-year non-renewable terms or until age 70
subordinate courts: High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts;

African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]

Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]
note: COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC

ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OECD (Enhanced Engagement, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNSC (temporary), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission: Ambassador Ebrahim RASOOL (since 4 August 2010)
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

chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick GASPARD (since 1 August 2013)
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

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 one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Sudan's

springbok antelope

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

South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors and a stock exchange that is the 15th largest in the world. Even though the country possesses modern infrastructure that support a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region, some components retard growth. The economy began to slow in the second half of 2007 due to an electricity crisis. State power supplier Eskom encountered problems with aging plants and meeting electricity demand necessitating "load-shedding" cuts in 2007 and 2008 to residents and businesses in the major cities. Subsequently, the global financial crisis reduced commodity prices and world demand. GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009 but has recovered since then. Unemployment, poverty, and inequality remain a challenge, with official unemployment at nearly 25% of the work force. Eskom has built two new power stations and installed new power demand management programs to improve power grid reliability. South Africa's economic policy has focused on controlling inflation, however, the country has had significant budget deficits that restrict its ability to deal with pressing economic problems. The current government faces growing pressure from special interest groups to use state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth.

$576.1 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$379.1 billion (2012 est.)

2.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123

$11,300 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

13.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112

household consumption: 60.4%
government consumption: 22.4%
investment in fixed capital: 19.2%
investment in inventories: 1%
exports of goods and services: 28.3%
imports of goods and services: -31.3%

agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 28.4%
services: 69% (2012 est.)

corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

0.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126

18.06 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35

agriculture: 9%
industry: 26%
services: 65% (2007 est.)

25.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174

31.3% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 51.7% (2009 est.)

63.1 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 2

revenues: $99.56 billion
expenditures: $117.8 billion (2012 est.)

26.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118

-4.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

42.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81

1 April - 31 March

5.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

5% (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 38

8.75% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102

$122 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31

$277 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

$298.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

$1.038 trillion (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 16

$-24.07 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184

$93.48 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42

gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

China 11.8%, US 8.3%, Japan 6%, Germany 5.7%, India 4.2% (2012)

$102.6 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs

China 14.4%, Germany 10.1%, Saudi Arabia 7.7%, US 7.4%, Japan 4.6%, India 4.5% (2012)

$50.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37

$130.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42

$139 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32

$82.82 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30

rand (ZAR) per US dollar -

257.9 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15

234.2 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16

15.04 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14

11.89 billion kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17

44.26 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22

90.8% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

4.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23

1.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140

0.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83

181,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178

385,100 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23

15 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 86

437,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

590,900 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

80,460 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51

79,010 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57

1.28 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62

4.01 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

3.3 billion cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41

16 billion cu m (1 January 2012 es)
country comparison to the world: 78

461.6 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15

4.03 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 42

68.4 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 19

general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 140 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 submarine cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia; the EASSy fiber-optic cable system connects with Europe and North America; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

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)

.za

4.761 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 23

4.42 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 54

566 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 11

total: 144
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 52
914 to 1,523 m: 65
under 914 m: 9 (2013)

total: 422
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 258
under 914 m:

1 (2013)

condensate 94 km; gas 1,293 km; oil 992 km; refined products 1,460 km (2013)

total: 20,192 km
country comparison to the world: 14
narrow gauge: 19,756 km 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified); 122 km 0.750-m gauge; 314 km 0.610-m gauge (2008)

total: 364,131 km
country comparison to the world: 19
paved: 62,995 km (includes 254 km of expressways)
unpaved: 301,136 km (2002)

total: 3
country comparison to the world: 134
by type: petroleum tanker 3
registered in other countries: 19 (Australia 1, Isle of Man 2, Mexico 1, NZ 1, Seychelles 1, Singapore 13) (2010)

major seaport(s): Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay
container port(s) (TEUs): Durban (2,712,975)

South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), South African Military Health Services (2013)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2012)

males age 16-49: 13,439,781
females age 16-49: 12,473,641 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 7,617,063
females age 16-49: 6,476,264 (2010 est.)

male: 482,122
female: 485,017 (2010 est.)

1.16% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 269

with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete

South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration; the governments of South Africa and Namibia have not signed or ratified the text of the 1994 Surveyor's General agreement placing the boundary in the middle of the Orange River

refugees (country of origin): 17,864 (Somalia); 13,386 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 5,805 (Angola); 5,538 (Ethiopia) (2012)