| Country (long form) |
Republic of South Africa |
| Capital |
Pretoria;
note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
| Total Area |
471,010.66 sq mi
1,219,912.00 sq km
(slightly less than twice the size of Texas) |
| Population |
43,421,021 (July 2000 est.) |
| Estimated Population in 2050 |
32,538,704 |
| Languages |
11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Literacy |
81.8% total, 81.9% male, 81.7% female (1995 est.) |
| Religions |
Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%,
Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5% |
| Life Expectancy |
50.41 male, 51.81 female (2000 est.) |
| Government Type |
republic |
| Currency |
1 rand (R) = 100 cents |
| GDP (per capita) |
$6,900 (1999 est.) |
| Industry |
mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs |
| Agriculture |
corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
| Arable Land |
10% |
| Natural Resources |
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
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