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 South Africa Location:
Physical. South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. It covers an area of about 437,872 square miles, slightly less than twice the size of Texas. The terrain includes a vast interior plateau with a narrow coastal plain. A semiarid climate dominates much of the country with subtropical conditions along the eastern coast. The country's rich natural resources include gold, chromium, coal, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin and gem diamonds.
South Africa Geography:
Geography
Area: 437,872 square miles
Capital: Pretoria (administrative) (pop 1,590,000); Cape Town (legislative) (2,993,000); Bloemfontein (judicial) (364,000)
Environmental concerns: desertification; land degradation; acid rain; air and water pollution; poaching; soil erosion; lack of fresh water
Geographical features: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and a narrow costal plain
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along the east coast
South Africa People:
People. Almost 44 million people live in South Africa. There are eleven official languages including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. The population is comprised of a number of ethnic groups: black (75%) white (14%) colored (9%) and Indian (2%). The people of South Africa associate themselves with a range of religious beliefs including Christian (68%) Muslim (3%) Hindu (1.5%) and indigenous beliefs and animism (28.5%).
43,648,000- 75% black; 14% white; 9% colored; 2% indian
Annual growth rate: .02%
Major languages are Afrikaans; English; Ndebele; Pedi; Sotho; Swati; Tsonga; Tswana; Venda; Xhosa; Zulu
Religions: Christian (68%); indigenous beliefs (28.5%); Muslim 2%; Hindu (1.5%)
South Africa Government:
Government. Despite its remarkable progress in recent years, South Africa remains a deeply divided nation. Whites continue to enjoy relatively affluent lives and the great majority of non-whites struggle with poverty. Although retired from the presidency, Nelson Mandela remains a unifying father figure to most South Africans. His retirement ended an extraordinary period in which South Africa struggled to come to terms with its new status as a nonracial democracy.
Since taking over the presidency in 1999, Thabo Mbeki has faced a series of major domestic and international challenges. Rising crime, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the falling value of the country’s currency have complicated the immense task of post-apartheid transformation.
In the areas of HIV/AIDS, Mbeki expressed skepticism about the causal link between the HIV virus and AIDS as well as the value of antiretroviral therapies. A ruling by the country’s High Court in 2001 stipulated that pregnant women must be given antiretroviral drugs to help prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. The government had argued that the drugs were too costly, but earlier in 2001 a group of 39 multinational pharmaceutical companies withdrew its legal battle to stop South Africa from importing generic AIDS drugs. This decision was a major victory for poorer countries battling HIV/AIDS.
South Africa is a Republic
Thabo Mbeki is head of state and government
Universal suffrage at 18
South Africa Communication:
Communication and transportation
5,000,000 land-line telephones
3,523,000 Internet users (2004)
215,157 miles of highway
12,859 miles of railroad
740 airfields
6,000,000 motor vehicles
South Africa Economy:
Economy. The economy remains healthy with the tourist industry doing well. However, despite the growth of the black middle class, the distribution of wealth still reflects the racial divisions of the old apartheid order—whiles in affluence, blacks in poverty. Both the left and right have challenged the Mbeki government’s commitment to market-driven growth and affirmative action. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) although it is allied with Mbeki’s African National Congress, held general strikes in 2002 because of the government’s privatization and general economic policies.
South Africa enhanced its diplomatic standing by hosting the inaugural meeting of the African Union and the World Summit of Sustainable Development in 2002, but Mbeki did not gain consensus for his efforts to build a New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). European and North Americans failed to support initiative due to Mbeki’s failure to take a strong stand against Robert Mugabe’s policies in Zimbabwe.
Currency: Rand
Per capita GDP: $9,400
GDP: $412 billion
GDP growth rate: 2.6%
Inflation rate: 5.8%
Labor force: 30% agriculture; 45%services; 25%industry
South Africa More Information:
www.gov.za
www.southafrica.co.za  |
