South Africa

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South Africa

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republiek van Suid-Afrika/Republic of South Africa Area 1,222,081 sq km/471,845 sq mi Capital Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) Language English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho (all official), other African languages Religion Dutch Reformed Church and other Christian denominations 77%, Hindu 2%, Muslim 1% Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1 January, 21 March, 27 April, 1 May, 16 June, 9 August, 24 September, 16, 25–26 December; variable: Good Friday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Vereeniging, Pietermaritzburg, Kimberley, Soweto, Tembisa Major ports Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London Physical features southern end of large plateau, fringed by mountains and lowland coastal margin; Drakensberg Mountains, Table Mountain; Limpopo and Orange rivers Territories Marion Island and Prince Edward Island in the Antarctic Airports over 30 airports dealing with international flights, but only three are classified as international airports; over 200 public aerodromes; total passengers carried: 9.5 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 31,700 km/19,697 mi; total passenger journeys: 4.9 million (2001) Roads total road network: 362,099 km/224,998 mi, of which 20.3% paved (2000 est); passenger cars: 144.5 per 1,000 people (2002 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Thabo Mbeki from 1999 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions nine provinces Political parties African National Congress (ANC), left of centre; National Party (NP), right of centre; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), centrist, multiracial (formerly Zulu nationalist); Freedom Front (FF), right wing; Democratic Party (DP), moderate, left of centre, multiracial; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), black, left wing; African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Christian, right of centre Death penalty abolished in 1997 Armed forces 55,800; plus 60,000 reservists (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 1.4 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 5.3 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency rand GDP (US$) 240.2 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4.2 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 224.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 12,120 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 4.6% (2006 est) Unemployment 27% (2005 est) Labour force 10.3% agriculture, 24.5% industry, 65.2% services (2004) Foreign debt (US$) 27.8 billion (2003 est) Major trading partners UK, Germany, USA, Japan, China Resources gold (world's largest producer), coal, platinum, iron ore, diamonds, chromium, manganese, limestone, asbestos, fluorspar, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, petroleum, natural gas Industries chemicals, petroleum and coal products, gold, diamonds, food processing, transport equipment, iron and steel, metal products, machinery, fertilizers, textiles, paper and paper products, clothing, wood and cork products Exports metals and metal products, gold, precious and semiprecious stones, mineral products and chemicals, natural cultured pearls, machinery and mechanical appliances, wool, maize, fruit, sugar. Principal market: UK 12.4% (2005) Imports machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, mineral products, mechanical appliances, textiles and clothing, vegetable products, wood, pulp, paper and paper products. Principal source: Germany 14.8% (2005) Arable land 12.1% (2006 est) Agricultural products maize, sugar cane, sorghum, fruits, wheat, groundnuts, grapes, vegetables; livestock rearing, wool production


POPULATION

Population 47,593,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 39 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 58 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 33%, 15–59 60%, 60+ 7% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 77% of the population is black African, 11% white (of European descent), 9% of mixed African–European descent, and 3% Asian Life expectancy 44 (men); 44 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 67 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 87% (men); 85% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 6.9 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 3.8 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 18.8 (2005 est) est) AIDS deaths 320,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 98 (urban); 73 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 10 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 71.6 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 338 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 195 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 8.4 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 10.8 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1652 Dutch East India Company established colony at Cape Town. 1795 Britain occupied Cape after France conquered the Netherlands. 1814 Britain bought Cape Town and hinterland from the Netherlands for £6 million. 1820s Zulu people established military kingdom under Shaka. 1836–38 The Great Trek: 10,000 Dutch settlers (known as Boers, meaning ‘farmers’) migrated north to escape British rule. 1843 Britain established colony of Natal on east coast. 1852–54 Britain recognized Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State. 1872 The Cape became self-governing colony within British Empire. 1877 Britain annexed Transvaal. 1879 Zulu War: Britain destroyed power of Zulus. 1881 First Boer War: Transvaal Boers defeated British at Majuba Hill and regained independence. 1886 Discovery of gold on Witwatersrand attracted many migrant miners (uitlanders) to Transvaal, which denied them full citizenship. 1895 Jameson Raid: uitlanders, backed by Cecil Rhodes, tried to overthrow President Paul Kruger of Transvaal. 1899–1902 Second South African War (also known as Boer War): dispute over rights of uitlanders led to conflict which ended with British annexation of Boer republics. 1907 Britain granted internal self-government to Transvaal and Orange Free State on a whites-only franchise. 1910 Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State formed Union of South Africa, with Louis Botha as prime minister. 1912 Gen Barry Hertzog founded (Boer) Nationalist Party; ANC formed to campaign for rights of black majority. 1914 Boer revolt in Orange Free State suppressed; South African troops fought for British Empire in World War I. 1919 Jan Smuts succeeded Botha as premier; South West Africa (Namibia) became South African mandate. 1924 Hertzog became prime minister, aiming to sharpen racial segregation and loosen ties with British Empire. 1939–45 Smuts led South Africa into World War II despite neutralism of Hertzog; South African troops fought with Allies in Middle East, East Africa, and Italy. 1948 Policy of apartheid (‘separateness’) adopted when National Party (NP) took power under Daniel Malan; continued by his successors Johannes Strijdom 1954–58, Hendrik Verwoerd 1958–66, B J Vorster 1966–78, and P W Botha 1978–89. 1950 Entire population classified by race; Group Areas Act segregated blacks and whites; ANC responded with campaign of civil disobedience. 1960 70 black demonstrators killed at Sharpville; ANC banned. 1961 South Africa left Commonwealth and became republic. 1964 ANC leader Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment. 1967 Terrorism Act introduced indefinite detention without trial. 1970s Over 3 million people forcibly resettled in black ‘homelands’. 1976 Over 600 killed in clashes between black protesters and security forces in Soweto. 1984 New constitution gave segregated representation to coloureds and Asians, but continued to exclude blacks. 1985 Growth of violence in black townships led to proclamation of state of emergency. 1986 USA and Commonwealth imposed limited economic sanctions against South Africa. 1989 F W de Klerk succeeded P W Botha as president; public facilities were desegregated; many ANC activists were released. 1990 Ban on ANC lifted; Mandela released; talks began between government and ANC. 1991 De Klerk repealed remaining apartheid laws; sanctions lifted; fighting between ANC and Zulu Inkatha movement. 1993 Interim majority rule constitution adopted; de Klerk and Mandela agreed to form government of national unity after free elections. 1994 ANC victorious in first nonracial elections; Mandela became president; Commonwealth membership restored. 1996 De Klerk withdrew NP from government coalition after new constitution failed to provide for power-sharing after 1999. 1997 New constitution signed by President Mandela; De Klerk announced retirement from politics. 1999 Mandela retired as state president; succeeded by Thabo Mbeki; ANC won increased majority in parliamentary elections. 2003 Government approved major programme to tackle HIV/AIDS epidemic. Walter Sisulu, a key figure in anti-apartheid struggle, died. 2004 ANC re-elected; Mbeki began second presidential term. 2006 Former deputy president Jacob Zuma acquitted of criminal charges. 2007 Biggest strike since end of apartheid era disrupted public sector services for a month.


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