South Africa
General
Population: 49,052,489 (2009)
Land Area: 1,219,912 sq km
Natural Resources: Gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Capital: Pretoria
Political System: Republic
State Leader: Thabo Mbeki (1999)
Languages: IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, English, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga
Currency: Rand (ZAR)
Major Religions: Zion Christian 11,1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8,2%, Catholic 7,1%, Methodist 6,8%, Dutch Reformed 6,7%, Anglican 3,8%, Muslim 1,5%, Other Christian 36%, Other 2,3%, Unspecified 1,4%, None 15,1%
Major Ethnicities: African 79%, Caucasian 9,6%, Mixed 8,9%, Indian/Asian 2,5%
Life Expectancy: 48,98 years (2009)
Economy
GDP: 300,4 billion (2008)
GDP Per Capita: 10,000 (2008)
GDP Growth Rate: 2,8% (2008)
GDP Structure: Agriculture 3,4%, Industry 31,3%, Services 65,3% (2008)
Labour Force By Occupation: Agriculture 9%, Industry 26%, Services 65% (2007)
Industries: Mining, automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair
Agriculture Products: Corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton wool, dairy products
Tourism Revenue: 6,729 billion (2004)
Unemployment Rate: 21,7% (2008)
Military
Army Size: 55 750 (2004)
Budget: 1,7% of GDP (2006)
Current Situation
South Africa is located in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. South Africa has a strong economy for an african country. Since the end of Apartheid the government has been trying to break the income gap between its caucasian citizens and african citizens. The economy is very developed and is diversified in many sectors. South Africa also has large amounts of natural resources, notably precious metals.
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