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South Africa |
Capital: Pretoria
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)
Currency: Rand (ZAR)
Background: After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule. 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 high unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups.
PEOPLE
Population: 43,997,828 (July 2007 est.); 49,109,107 (July 2010)
Life expectancy at birth:
2007
Total Population: 42.45 years
Male: 43.21 years
Female: 41.66 years (2007 est.)
2010
Total population: 49.2 years
Male: 50.08 years
Female: 48.29 years (2010 est.)
Age structure:
2007
0-14 years: 29.1% (male 6,447,623/female 6,370,909)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 14,040,210/female 14,761,179)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 917,227/female 1,460,680) (2007 est.)
2010
0-14 years: 28.9% (male 7,093,328/female 7,061,579)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 16,275,424/female 15,984,181)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,075,117/female 1,562,860) (2010 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.46% (2007 est.); -0.051% (2010 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)
HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 18.8% (2006 est.); 18.1% (2007 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 5,500,000 (2006 est.); 5.7 million (2007 est.)
Literacy - definition:
Refugees and Internally Displaced People:
Refugees (country of origin): 10,609 (Democratic Republic of Congo), 7,548 (Somalia), 5,764 (Angola) (2006)
Refugees (country of origin): 10,772 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 7,818 (Somalia); 5,759 (Angola) (2007)
ECONOMY
Unemployment rate: 25.5% (2006 est.)
Labour force by Occupation: N/A
Agricultural Products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products.
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair.
Exports - Commodities: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
Exports - Partners:
Japan 12.1%, US 11.8%, UK 9%, Germany 7.6%, Netherlands 5.3%, China 4% (2006)
China 10.34%, US 9.19%, Japan 7.59%, Germany 7.01%, UK 5.54%, Switzerland 4.72% (2009)
Imports - Commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
Imports - Partners:
Germany 12.6%, China 10%, US 7.6%, Japan 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.3%, UK 5% (2006)
China 17.21%, Germany 11.24%, US 7.38%, Saudi Arabia 4.87%, Japan 4.67%, Iran 3.95% (2009)
ENVIRONMENT
Environment - Current issues: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification.
Natural hazards: prolonged droughts
Source: CIA World Factbook
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