South Africa

Location

• Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
• note 1: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatininote 2: 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

Population

Notable Population Centers

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

Size

• 471,008 square miles
• 1,219,912 square kilometers
• slightly less than twice the size of Texas

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. 

Climate

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

Terrain

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

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 est.)major-language sample(s): Die Wereld Feite Boek, n’ onontbeerlike bron vir basiese informasie. (Afrikaans)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)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 est.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996, effective 4 February 1997amendment 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 29 May 2024election results: 2024: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed2019: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposedexpected date of next election: May 2029note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: 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 70subordinate courts: High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• 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
• Budget: revenues: $123.263 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $137.593 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gasnote: South Africa was the World's leading chromite ore producer in 2022 with an output of 18,000 mt
• Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, maize, milk, soybeans, potatoes, wheat, grapes, chicken, oranges, apples (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 79.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 9.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 69.2% (2022 est.)forest: 14% (2022 est.)other: 6.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, cars, broadcasting equipment (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 21%, India 7%, USA 7%, Germany 6%, UAE 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, platinum, coal, cars, iron ore (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 19%, USA 8%, Germany 7%, India 7%, UK 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports