home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Countries of the World
/
COUNTRYS.BIN
/
dp
/
0319
/
03190.txt
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-07-01
|
12KB
|
302 lines
$Unique_ID{COW03190}
$Pretitle{293}
$Title{South Africa
Statistical Profile of South Africa}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Central Intelligence Agency}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{rate
km
party
growth
south
billion
national
total
white
africa}
$Date{1990}
$Log{National Anthem*72200010.aud
Map of South Africa*0319001.scf
Flag of South Africa*0319002.scf
}
Country: South Africa
Book: CIA World Factbook
Author: Central Intelligence Agency
Affiliation: United States Government
Date: 1990
[Hear National Anthem]
[See Map of South Africa]
[See Flag of South Africa]
Statistical Profile of South Africa
Geography
Total area: 1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes
Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km,
Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline: 2,881 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: administers Namibia until implementation of UN Resolution 435 on
1 April 1989
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal
plain
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum,
copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and
pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires
extensive water conservation and control measures
Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely
surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland
People
Population: 38,509,312 (July 1989), growth rate 0%; includes the 10
so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US
four independent homelands--Bophuthatswana 2,287,701, growth rate 2.77%;
Ciskei 996,457, growth rate 2.89%; Transkei 4,187,559, growth rate 4.23%;
Venda 639,947, growth rate 3.88%
six other homelands--Gazankulu 713,244, growth rate 4.01%; Kangwane 536,093,
growth rate 3.65%; KwaNdebele 337,227, growth rate 3.32%; KwaZulu 5,158,425,
growth rate 3.64%; Lebowa 2,600,481, growth rate 3.93%; Qwagwa 768,641, growth
rate 2.50%
Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1989)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1989)
Infant mortality rate: 53 deaths/1,000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 66 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1989)
Nationality: noun--South African(s); adjective--South African
Ethnic divisions: 73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian
Religion: most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are
Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim
Language: Afrikaans, English (official); many vernacular languages,
including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana
Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50%
of blacks literate
Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active; 34% services,
30% agriculture, 29% industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985)
Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized (mostly white
workers); African unions represent less than 15% of black labor force
Government
Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA
Type: republic
Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial,
Bloemfontein
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State,
Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US--4 independent
(Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane,
KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa)
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
Constitution: 3 September 1984
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
Branches: state president is chief of state, head of government, and
chairman of Cabinet; tricameral legislature--House of Assembly (whites), House
of Representatives (Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Indians) elected
directly by respective racial electorates; judiciary maintains substantial
independence of government influence
Leader: Pieter Willem BOTHA, State President (since September 1984)
Suffrage: general suffrage limited to whites over 18 (17 in Natal
Province) and to Coloreds and Indians over 18
Elections: must be held at least every five years; last white
election held May 1987; last Colored and Indian election held August 1984
Political parties and leaders: white political parties and
leaders--National Party (NP), Frederik W. de Klerk; Progressive Federal Party
(PFP), Zach De Beer; Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. Treurnicht
(official opposition party); Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap Marais;
National Democratic Movement (NDM), Wynand Malan; Independent Party (IP), Denis
Worrall; New Republic Party (NRP), Bill Sutton--now dissolved but still
holds a seat; Colored political parties and leaders--Labor Party, Allan
Hendrickse (majority party); Democratic Reform Party, Carter Ebrahim; People's
Congress Party, Peter Marais; Indian political parties and leaders--New
Solidarity, J. N. Reddy (majority party), National People's Party, Amichand
Rajbansi
Voting strength: (May 1987 election) total white parliamentary seats--178
(166 elected, 12 nominated or appointed); NP, 132 seats (52.6%); CP, 23 seats
(26.6%); PFP, 17 seats (14.1%); NDM, 3; NRP, 1 (1.9%); IP, 1 seat (1.3%);
HNP, no seat, (3.5%)
Communists: small Communist party illegal since 1950; party in exile
maintains headquarters in London, Daniel Tloome (Chairman) and Joe Slovo
(General Secretary)
Other political groups: (insurgent groups in exile) African National
Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Zephania
Mothopeng
Member of: CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, International Lead
and Zinc Study Group, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling
Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union,
UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO,
WIPO, and WMO suspended or restricted)
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400;
there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California),
Chicago, Houston, and New York;
US--Ambassador Edward J. PERKINS; Embassy at Thibault House,
225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266; there are
US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg
Flag: actually four flags in one--three miniature flags reproduced in the
center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three
equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are
a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of
the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal
Republic adjoining on the other side
Economy
Overview: The relatively large and developed economy, based on
mining and manufacturing, is more comparable to Western developed countries than
other African countries. Manufacturing is the most important sector,
contributing 22% to GDP in 1986. Mining, finance, insurance, real estate,
business services, and domestic trade sectors are next in importance. The
mining and agricultural sectors are more significant to the economy than
suggested by GDP data, with both sectors being major employers. Almost 65% of
exports come from mining, with gold contributing about 40%. In 1987 real GDP
rose an es