(CBS)
Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. 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); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races.
The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule under the African National Congress (ANC). ANC infighting, which has grown in recent years, came to a head in September 2008 after President Thabo MBEKI resigned. Kgalema MOTLANTHE, the party's General-Secretary, succeeded as interim president until general elections scheduled for 2009.
Source: CIA World Fact Book
(AP)
49,052,489 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure: 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) (2009 est.)
Median age: total: 24.4 years male: 24.1 years female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.281% (2009 est.)
Birth rate: 20.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 16.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 61% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-2010)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 44.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 48.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.98 years male: 49.81 years female: 48.13 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.38 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 18.1% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5.7 million (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 350,000 (2007 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
Nationality: noun: South African(s) adjective: South African
Ethnic groups: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)
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% (2001 census)
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)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2004)
Education expenditures: 5.4% of GDP (2006)
(AP)
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region.
Growth was robust from 2004 to 2008 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom, but began to slow in the second half of 2008 due to the global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. However, unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth.
At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation.
South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $506.1 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $300.4 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,400 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.4% industry: 31.3% services: 65.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force: 18.22 million economically active (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 9% industry: 26% services: 65% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate: 21.7% (2008 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 65 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed): 20.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget: revenues: $83.85 billion expenditures: $83.3 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt: 29.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.3% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate: 11% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.17% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money: $58.49 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money: $141.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit: $254.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: $842 billion (January 2008)
Agriculture - 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
Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2008 est.)
Electricity - production: 264 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - consumption: 241.4 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports: 13.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports: 11.32 billion kWh (2007)
Oil - production: 199,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption: 504,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports: 267,700 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports: 319,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - proved reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production: 2.9 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 3.1 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: -$21.67 billion (2008 est.)
Exports: $81.47 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities: gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment
Exports - partners: US 11.9%, Japan 11.1%, Germany 8%, UK 7.7%, China 6.6%, Netherlands 4.5% (2007)
Imports: $87.3 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Germany 10.9%, China 10%, Spain 8.2%, US 7.2%, Japan 6.1%, UK 4.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.2% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $33.59 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external: $39.69 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $99.61 billion (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $57.08 billion (2008 est.)
Exchange rates: rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.9576 (2008 est.), 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
africa headlines
88 Repentant Libyan Militants ReleasedLibya Releases 88 Militants Who Repented Their Crimes, Including Those With Qaida Ties
South Africa's Semenya Asks For Exam BreakSouth African Runner At Center Of Gender Controversy Asks To Put Off University Final Exams
SAfrica To Limit Trans Fats As Heart Disease RisesSouth Africa, Follows Lead Of New York, Canada, To Limit Trans Fats To Fight Heart Disease
Nigeria May Lift Ban On Treating Gunshot WoundsNigeria Considers Bill To Criminalize Hospital Rejection Of Gunshot Wound Victims
world headlines
Honduras, Already Poor, Sinks Further After CoupPoverty Deepens In Honduras As Crisis Drags On, Slamming Already Fragile Economy
Cuba Cracks Down On Unlicensed Home ImprovementsAmid Housing Crunch, Cuba Cracks Downs On Illegal Home Remodels, Streamlines Building Permits
Havel: Czech Leader Is Damaging The CountryVaclav Havel: Czech President Is Damaging The Country By Not Signing The EU Reform Treaty
New Security Council Members ElectedBosnia, Lebanon, Gabon, Nigeria And Brazil Win Security Council Seats
Twitter Launches Japanese Mobile SiteTwitter Launches Japanese Mobile Site In Major Push To Crack Finicky Market
Harrods Adds Gold Bars To Its Luxurious ImageHarrods Department Store Goes Further Upmarket, Selling Pricey Gold Bars To Its Shoppers
Little-known Egyptian Is Key Al-Qaida FigureLittle-known Egyptian-born Militant Is Key Al-Qaida Figure In Afghanistan
US Man Accused Of Grabbing Own Kids Freed In JapanUS Man Accused Of Snatching Kids From Ex-wife In Japan Released Pending Investigation
US Condemns Vietnam's Treatment Of ActivistsUS Condemns Vietnam's Treatment Of Democracy Activists, Monks
Chinese Leader's Comments Dash Iran Sanction HopesChinese Leader Says Country Will Strengthen Cooperation With Iran, Dashing Sanctions Hopes
Interactive
South Africa's Penguins In Peril Hundreds of penguins nest lazily in the sparkling sand and preen themselves on the rocks near the Cape of Good Hope.
Photo Essay
Global Terror
Major terrorist organizations, the FBI's most wanted and facts and photos from recent attacks.
More In-depth
The road ahead in Afghanistan, and the crucial decision Obama faces.
