South Africa: Fact file

Updated February 2013

Name Republic of South Africa
Area 1 219 090 sq km (Frame 2011, 1130)
Major cities Tshwane (administrative capital), Cape Town (legislative capital), Bloemfontein (judicial capital), Johannesburg, eThekwini (Durban), Ekurhuleni (East Rand), Nelson Mandela (Port Elizabeth), Buffalo City (East London), Pietermaritzburg, Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark (Frame 2011,1148)
Boundaries Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho (enclave)
Population 51.770 million, 2011 est ( Statistics South Africa 2011, 1)
Pop growth 0.51%, 2010-2015 est (UN Statistics Division 2011a)
Urbanisation 61.7%, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division undated)
Life expectancy Female 54.1 yrs, male 53.1 yrs; 2010-2015 est (UN Statistics Division 2011b, 2011c)
Infant mortality 46/1000, 2010-2015 est (UN Statistics Division 2011d)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 17.8%, 15-49 yr 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2012a)
Adult literacy rate 89%; 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2012c)
Military expenditure 1.4% of GDP; 2006 (UN Statistics Division 2012d)
Health expenditure 8.0% of GDP; 2006 (UN Statistics Division 2010)
Legal system Roman-Dutch law, English common law (Barratt & Snyman 2005)
Independence 31 May 1910 from Great Britain
GDP US$363.91 billion, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2012e)
GDP per capita US$7,255, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2012b)
GDP growth rate 2.8%, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2012f)
Main exports Platinum, gold, diamonds, base metals, minerals, fruit, machinery (Frame 2011, 1152)
Currency 1 Rand = 100 cents (Frame 2011, 1150)
Unemployment Official 24.9%, 2012 (South Africa reserve bank, 14)
Inflation rate 8.1%, 2010 (UN Statistics Division 2012g)
External debt ratio 2.0% of GDP, 2010 (IMF 2011, 92)
Infrastructure Railway 31 400 km; road 364 131 km including 239 km motorways; 7 international airpots and three other major domestic ones(Frame 2011, 1172; Airports Company South Africa undated)
Ethnic groups African 79.6%, White 8.9%, Coloured 9.0% and Indian/Asian 2.5% (Statistics South Africa 2011, 1)
Languages Official Languages: IsiZulu, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, English, isiNdebele, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, siSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana and Tshivenda (Frame 2011, 1131)
Religion Christian 80%, rest Islam, African tradition, Judaism, Hinduism (Frame 2011, 1161)

References

AIRPORTS COMPANY SOUTH AFRICA UNDATED "Airports", [www] http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?pid=66 [opens new window] (accessed 18 February 2013).

BARRATT, A & SNYMAN, P 2005 "Researching South African Law" IN GlobaLex, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/South_Africa.htm [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

FRAME, I 2011 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2011, Routledge.

IMF 2011 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2011/afr/eng/sreo1011.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA CENSUS 2011 "Fact Sheet", [www] http://www.statssa.gov.za/Census2011/Products/Census_2011_Fact_sheet.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] 2011.

SOUTH AFRICAN RESERVE BANK 2012 QUARTERLY BULLETIN, June, [www] http://www.resbank.co.za/Lists/News%20and%20Publications/Attachments/5133/01Full%20Quarterly%20Bulletin.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window], June 2012.

SA FLIGHT UNDATED "South African Airport", [www] http://www.saflights.co.za/south-african-airports.html [opens new window](accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010 "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, 19 Nov, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=health+expenditure&d=WHO&f=MEASURE_CODE%3aWHS7_143 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2011 "Total population, both sexes combined" IN UNdata, 25 Aug, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a12 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2011a "Population growth rate" IN UNdata, 25 Aug, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a47 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2011b "Life expectancy at birth, females" IN UNdata, 25 Aug, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a67 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2011c "Life expectancy at birth, males" IN UNdata, 25 Aug, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a66 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2011d "Infant mortality rate" IN UNdata, 25 Aug, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012a "Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate" IN UNdata, 9 April, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=HIV%2fAIDS+prevalence&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a73 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012b "Per capita GDP at current prices" IN UNdata, 16 Jan, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=SNAAMA&f=grID%3a101%3bcurrID%3aUSD%3bpcFlag%3a1 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012c "Adult literacy rate" IN UNdata, 9 April, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Adult+literacy&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a74 [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012d "Military expenditure" IN UNdata, 9 May, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012e "GDP" IN UNdata, 9 May, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.CD [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012f "GDP growth" IN UNdata, 9 May, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2012g "Inflation, GDP deflator" IN UNdata, 9 May, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Inflation&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.DEFL.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION UNDATED "South Africa", [www] http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=South%20Africa [opens new window] (accessed 29 Oct 2012).

 
 
 
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