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> South
Africa
> Country Factfile
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> Swaziland
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Country
Factfile
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| Geography |
|
| Area |
total:
1,219,912 sq km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Climate |
mostly
semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
|
| Terrain |
vast
interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal
plain |
| |
|
| People |
|
| Population |
43,997,828
|
| Population
Growth Rate |
0.46%
(2007 est.) |
| Sex
Ratio |
0.947
male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| 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 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) |
| Literacy |
86.4% |
| |
|
| Government |
|
| Government
Type |
Republic
|
| Capital |
Pretoria;
note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein
the judicial center |
| Administrative
Divisions |
9 provinces;
Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo,
Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape |
| Independence |
31 May
1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961
following an October 1960 referendum |
| Constitution |
10 December
1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional
Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA
on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February
1997; it is being implemented in phases |
| Legal
System |
based
on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage |
18 years
of age; universal |
| |
|
| Economy |
|
| GDP |
$576.4 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP
Real Growth Rate |
4.5% (2006 est.) |
| GDP
per capita |
$13,000 (2006 est.) |
| Population
Below Poverty Line |
50% (2000
est.) |
| Inflation
Rate |
5%
(2006 est.) |
| Labour
Force |
16.09
million economically active (2006) |
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