SOUTH AFRICA Republic South Africa

GEOGRAPHY:
• Location:----------------- Southern Africa
• Area:
     Total area:--- 1,219,912 sq. km
     Land area:--- 1,219,912 sq. km
  
• Capital city:------------- Pretoria (administrative); Cape town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
• Natural Resources:---------------- Gold, Chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gems, diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas.
  
  PEOPLE:
  
• Population:---------------- 42,834,520
• Literacy rate:-------------- 81.8% of total population, (Males:81.9%, Females:81.7%).
• Languages:------------------ 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
• Religious:----------------- Christians (most whites and coloreds and about 60% of blacks), Hindu (60% of Indians), 2%-Muslim.
  
  VITAL STATISTICS:
  
• Birth rate:------------- 26.89 (per 1,000 population) (1997)
• Death rate:------------- 11.89 (per 1,000 population)
• Infant Mortality rate:------------ 53.2 (deaths per 1,000 live births)
• Fertility rate:--------------- 3.22 (per woman)
• Life Expectancy at birth:
     Total population:--- 56.29 (Males:54.4, Females:58.23).
  
  GOVERNMENT:
  
• Type of Government:-------------- Republic
• Independence:-------------- May 31, 1910 (from UK)
• President:-------------- Thabo Mbeki
  
  ECONOMY:
  
• GDP:--------------- purchasing power parity - $227 billion (1996)
     GDP real growth rate:--- 3%
     GDP per capita:--- $5,400
  
• Inflation rate (consumer prices):------------- 9% (1996)
• National budget:
     Revenues:--- $30.5 billion
     Expenditures:--- $38 billion
  
• External Debt:-------------- $30 billion
• Currency:--------------- 1 rand = 100 cents
• Labor force:--------------- 14.2 million (1996)
• Unemployment rate:---------------- 34% (an additional 11% underemployment) (1996)
• Agriculture:---------------- Corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef.
• Industries:--------------- Mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs.
• Exports:---------------- $29.2 billion
     Commodities:--- Gold, other materials and metals, food, chemicals.
• Imports:---------------- $29.9 million
     Commodities:--- Machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, oil, textiles, scientific instruments.
  
  DEFENCE:
  
• Defence Expenditures:--------------- Exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion, 2.2% of GDP.

Geography:South Africa is located on the Africa's southern tip. On the west is the Southern Atlantics Ocean and the Indian Ocean on the east and south.
Tourism Information:
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