South Africa

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 164, shortwave 1

Radios

7.5 million (1999 est.)

Telephone system

the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, and radiotelephone communication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

4.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

556 (includes 156 network stations and 400 privately-owned low-power stations; in addition, there are 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

7.5 million

Agriculture--products

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

Budget

revenues: $30.5 billion expenditures: $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.6 billion (FY94/95 est.)

Currency

1 rand (R) = 100 cents

Debt--external

$23.5 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient

$676.3 million

Economy--overview

South Africa is a middle-income, developing country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to cut into the 30% unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime and corruption. The new government demonstrated its commitment to open markets, privatization, and a favorable investment climate with the release of its macroeconomic strategy in June 1996. Called "Growth, Employment and Redistribution," this policy framework includes the introduction of tax incentives to stimulate new investment in labor-intensive projects, expansion of basic infrastructure services, the restructuring and partial privatization of state assets, continued reduction of tariffs, subsidies to promote economic efficiency, improved services to the disadvantaged, and integration into the global economy. Serious structural rigidities remain, including a complicated and relatively protectionist trade regime, and concentration of wealth and economic control.

Electricity--consumption

181.404 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports

5.575 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports

30 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production

186.949 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source

fossil fuel: 93% hydro: 0.7% nuclear: 6.3% other: NA% (1996)

Exchange rates

rand (R) per US$1--5.98380 (January 1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994)

Exports

$28.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

gold 20%, other minerals and metals 20%-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3% (1997)

Exports--partners

UK, Italy, Japan, US, Germany (1997)

Fiscal year

1 April--31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity--$290.6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector

agriculture: 5% industry: 39% services: 56% (1996 est.)

GDP--per capita

purchasing power parity?$6,800 (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate

0.3% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 47.3% (1993)

Imports

$27.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities

machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, textiles, scientific instruments (1997)

Imports--partners

Germany, US, UK, Japan (1997)

Industrial production growth rate

-1% (1998 est.)

Industries

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9% (1998 est.)

Labor force

15 million economically active (1997)

Labor force--by occupation

services 35%, agriculture 30%, industry 20%, mining 9%, other 6%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

30% (1998 est.)

Area

total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)

Area--comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

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

Coastline

2,798 km

Elevation extremes

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

Environment--current issues

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage threatens to outpace 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 Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

29 00 S, 24 00 E

Geography--note

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

Irrigated land

12,700 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 4,750 km border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 855 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

Land use

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 67% forests and woodland: 7% other: 15% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

prolonged droughts

Natural resources

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

Terrain

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)

Constitution

10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases

Country name

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

Data code

SF

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James A. JOSEPH embassy: 877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083 mailing address: P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Executive Deputy President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Executive Deputy President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and executive deputy presidents elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 9 May 1994 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 1999) election results: Nelson MANDELA elected president; percent of National Assembly vote--100% (by acclamation); Thabo MBEKI and Frederik W. DE KLERK elected executive deputy presidents; percent of National Assembly vote--100% (by acclamation) note: the initial governing coalition, made up of the ANC, the IFP, and the NP, which constituted a Government of National Unity or GNU, no longer includes the NP which was withdrawn by DE KLERK on 30 June 1996 when he voluntarily gave up his position as executive deputy president and distanced himself from the programs of the ANC

Flag description

two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing 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 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

Government type

republic

Independence

31 May 1910 (from UK)

International organization participation

AfDB, BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts

Legal system

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and 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); note--following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and Senate--last held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be held 2 June 1999); note--the Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces on 6 February 1997 election results: National Assembly--percent of vote by party--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 by party--ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC 5, ACDP 2; Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3

National holiday

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Political parties and leaders

African Christian Democratic Party SCHALKWYK, executive director]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC note: 11 other parties won votes in the April 1994 elections but not enough to gain seats in the National Assembly

Political pressure groups and leaders

Congress of South African secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO in a formal alliance with the ANC

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

South African National Defense Force or SANDF (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service or SAPS

Military expenditures--dollar figure

$2 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP

2.2% (FY95/96)

Military manpower--availability

males age 15-49: 11,330,692 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service

males age 15-49: 6,889,631 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--military age

18 years of age

Military manpower--reaching military age annually

males: 453,610 (1999 est.)

Military--note

the National Defense Force continues to integrate former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces

Age structure

0-14 years: 34% (male 7,541,840; female 7,403,235) 15-64 years: 61% (male 13,180,925; female 13,312,917) 65 years and over: 5% (male 798,825; female 1,188,644) (1999 est.)

Birth rate

25.94 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate

12.81 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Ethnic groups

black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%

Infant mortality rate

51.99 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Languages

11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.76 years male: 52.68 years female: 56.9 years (1999 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.8% male: 81.9% female: 81.7% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: South African(s) adjective: South African

Net migration rate

0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Population

43,426,386 (July 1999 est.) note: South Africa took a census 10 October 1996 which showed a population of 37,859,000 (after a 6.8% adjustment for underenumeration based on a post-enumeration survey); this figure is still about 10% below projections from earlier censuses; since the full results of that census have not been released for analysis, the numbers shown for South Africa do not take into consideration the results of this 1996 census

Population growth rate

1.32% (1999 est.)

Religions

Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), traditional and animistic 28.5%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Disputes--international

Swaziland has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom

Illicit drugs

transshipment center for heroin and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana

Airports

749 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways

total: 144 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 45 914 to 1,523 m: 75 under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways

total: 605 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 304 under 914 m: 266 (1998 est.)

Highways

total: 331,265 km paved: 137,475 km (including 1,142 km of expressways) unpaved: 193,790 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 274,797 GRT/270,837 DWT ships by type: container 6, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km

Ports and harbors

Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha

Railways

total: 21,431 km narrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)