Today, let's visit

South Africa

South Africa is a country in Africa, home to about 57.8 million people. Its capital is Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital).

It covers 1,219,912 square kilometres (471,008 square miles). That's slightly less than twice the size of Texas.

Map of South Africa showing major cities and neighbouring countries — Map: UN OCHA

A little history

Some of the earliest human remains in the fossil record were found in South Africa. By about A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking groups began settling into what is now northeastern South Africa, displacing Khoisan-speaking groups to the southwest. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many settlers of Dutch descent – known then as "Boers," or farmers, but later called Afrikaners – trekked north to found their own republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the 1820s, several decades of wars began as the Zulus expanded their territory, moving out of what is today southeastern South Africa and clashing with other indigenous peoples and the growing European settlements. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred mass immigration, predominantly from Europe.

The Zulu kingdom's territory was incorporated into the British Empire after the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, and the Afrikaner republics were incorporated after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899-1902). Beginning in 1910, the British and the Afrikaners ruled together under the Union of South Africa, which left the British Commonwealth to become a fully self-governing republic in 1961 after a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid -– billed as "separate development" of the races – which favored the White minority and suppressed the Black majority and other non-White groups. The African National Congress (ANC) led the resistance to apartheid, and many top ANC leaders such as Nelson MANDELA spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts from some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to unban the ANC and negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule.

The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa has since struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in wealth, housing, education, and health care under successive administrations. President Cyril RAMAPHOSA, who was reelected as the ANC leader in 2022, has made some progress in reigning in corruption.

What's it like there?

The weather is mostly semiarid.

Location: Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Size: Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Climate: Mostly semiarid

Subtropical along east coast

Sunny days, cool nights
Landscape: Vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Natural resources: Gold

Chromium

Antimony

Coal

Iron ore

Manganese

Nickel

Phosphates

Tin

Rare earth elements

Uranium

Gem diamonds

Platinum

Copper

Vanadium

Salt

Natural gas

Note: South Africa was the World's leading chromite ore producer in 2022 with an output of 18,000 mt
Land use: Agricultural land

79.4%

Arable land

9.9%

Permanent crops

0.3%

Permanent pasture

69.2%

Forest

18.7%

Other

1.9%

2023 estimate
Good to know: Note: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini

Note: Sometimes mistaken for the southernmost point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope is more accurately described as the southwestern-most point of the African continent; Cape Agulhas, the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is the southernmost point of the African continent

Agricultural land	79.4%
Arable land	9.9%
Permanent crops	0.3%
Permanent pasture	69.2%
Forest	18.7%
Other	1.9%

Who lives there?

About 57.8 million people live in South Africa, and the biggest city is Johannesburg.

Largest cities: Johannesburg 9,418,183

Cape Town 4,772,846

Durban 3,338,026

Pretoria Capital 2,112,693

Soweto 1,695,047

Gqeberha 1,050,078

Soshanguve 872,309

Pietermaritzburg 839,327

Evaton 725,468

Benoni 605,344
Languages: IsiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2%

2018 estimate

Note: Data represent language spoken most often at home
Religions: Christian 86%

Ancestral

Tribal

Animist

Or other traditional African religions 5.4%

Muslim 1.9%

Other 1.5%

Nothing in particular 5.2%

2015 estimate
Ethnic groups: Black African 80.9%

Colored 8.8%

White 7.8%

Indian/Asian 2.6%

2021 estimate

Note: Colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry who developed a distinct cultural identity over several hundred years
Where people live: The population is concentrated along the southern and southeastern coast, and inland around Pretoria

The eastern half of the country is more densely populated than the west, as shown in this population distribution map
Cities and towns: Urban population

68.8% of total population

2023

Rate of urbanization

1.72% annual rate of change

2020-25 estimate
Reading and writing: Total population

91.2%

Male

91.5%

Female

90.8%

2024 estimate
What people are called: Noun

South African(s)

Adjective

South African

Urban population	68.8% of total population 2023
Rate of urbanization	1.72% annual rate of change 2020-25 estimate

Total population	91.2%
Male	91.5%
Female	90.8%

Noun	South African(s)
Adjective	South African

Who's in charge?

Its government is a parliamentary republic.

Leaders: Leader

President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (since 19 June 2024)
Parliament: Legislature name

Parliament

Legislative structure

Bicameral
Courts: Highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges)

Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)

Judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice

Other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by an Act of Parliament

Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the president of South Africa after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly

Other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly

Constitutional Court judges serve 12-year nonrenewable terms or until age 70

Subordinate courts

High Courts

Magistrates' Courts

Labor courts

Land claims courts
Constitution: History

Several previous

Latest drafted 8 May 1996

Approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996

Effective 4 February 1997

Amendment process

Proposed by the National Assembly of Parliament

Passage of amendments affecting constitutional sections on human rights and freedoms, non-racism and non-sexism, supremacy of the constitution, suffrage, the multi-party system of democratic government, and amendment procedures requires at least 75% majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces, and assent of the president of the republic

Passage of amendments affecting the Bill of Rights, and those related to provincial boundaries, powers, and authorities requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council, and assent of the president
Legal system: Mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
Who can vote: 18 years of age

Universal

Leader	President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (since 19 June 2024)

Legislature name	Parliament
Legislative structure	Bicameral

Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges) Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice Other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by an Act of Parliament Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the president of South Africa after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly Other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly Constitutional Court judges serve 12-year nonrenewable terms or until age 70
Subordinate courts	High Courts Magistrates' Courts Labor courts Land claims courts

History	Several previous Latest drafted 8 May 1996 Approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996 Effective 4 February 1997
Amendment process	Proposed by the National Assembly of Parliament Passage of amendments affecting constitutional sections on human rights and freedoms, non-racism and non-sexism, supremacy of the constitution, suffrage, the multi-party system of democratic government, and amendment procedures requires at least 75% majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces, and assent of the president of the republic Passage of amendments affecting the Bill of Rights, and those related to provincial boundaries, powers, and authorities requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council, and assent of the president

How does it make a living?

In short: Upper-middle-income, largest southern African economy

Government of National Unity facing slow growth, fiscal gaps, and structural challenges

High income inequality, unemployment, and poverty

Reforms to address electricity generation, transport, and logistics

Leading producer and exporter of critical minerals
Industries: Mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium)

Automobile assembly

Metalworking

Machinery

Textiles

Iron and steel

Chemicals

Fertilizer

Foodstuffs

Commercial ship repair
Farming: Sugarcane

Maize

Milk

Soybeans

Potatoes

Wheat

Grapes

Chicken

Oranges

Apples

2023

Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Exports: Gold

Platinum

Coal

Cars

Iron ore

2023

Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Sells most to: China 19%

USA 8%

Germany 7%

India 7%

UK 6%

2023

Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports: Refined petroleum

Crude petroleum

Gold

Cars

Broadcasting equipment

2023

Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Buys most from: China 21%

India 7%

USA 7%

Germany 6%

UAE 4%

2023

Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Workforce: 27.766 million

2024 estimate

Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Electricity: Electrification - total population

86.5%

2022 estimate

Electrification - urban areas

87.1%

Electrification - rural areas

93.4%
Government budget: Revenues

$123.263 billion

Expenditures

$137.593 billion

2022 estimate

Note: Central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Electrification - total population	86.5% 2022 estimate
Electrification - urban areas	87.1%
Electrification - rural areas	93.4%

Revenues	$123.263 billion
Expenditures	$137.593 billion

Have a great day!

I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.

The more we all learn about the world, the better a place it becomes. Thank you for your curiosity!

Johannesburg		9,418,183
Cape Town		4,772,846
Durban		3,338,026
Pretoria Capital		2,112,693
Soweto		1,695,047
Gqeberha		1,050,078
Soshanguve		872,309
Pietermaritzburg		839,327
Evaton		725,468
Benoni		605,344

Christian		86%
Ancestral
Tribal
Animist
Or other traditional African religions		5.4%
Muslim		1.9%
Other		1.5%
Nothing in particular		5.2%

Black African		80.9%
Colored		8.8%
White		7.8%
Indian/Asian		2.6%

China		19%
USA		8%
Germany		7%
India		7%
UK		6%

China		21%
India		7%
USA		7%
Germany		6%
UAE		4%