President: Dr Nicholas Liverpool Prime minister: Roosevelt Skerrit
Population
48,810,427
73,126
Life Expectancy
49.410 years
76.180 years
Capital City
Pretoria (administrative capital)
Largest city
Cape Town (population: 3,433,440)
Roseau (population: 16,571)
Human Development Index
0.67
0.797
GDP per capita
$11,100 US
Literacy Rate
86.4%
94%
Corruption Perception Index
4.9
6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.9%
19.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Nicky Oppenheimer & family ($5.0bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
24.900%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
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)
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)
Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal 5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census)
Languages
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
English (official), French patois
Exports
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
External Debt
$46,070,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.9576 (2008 est.), 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago
Area
1,219,090 km sq
751 km sq
Coastline
2,798 km
148 km
Climate
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
