 South Africa
Facts and Figures
Source: CIA World Factbook |
| Coordinates |
29 00 S, 24 00 E |
| Area |
total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) |
| Climate |
mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
| Terrain |
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain |
| Population |
43,997,828 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| 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) |
| Imports |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs |
| Exports |
gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment |
| Hazards |
prolonged droughts |
| Resources |
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas |
| Geography |
South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland |
| Nationality |
noun: South African(s) adjective: South African |
| Capital |
name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 29 12 S, 28 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) |
| Internet Country Code |
.za |
| Internet Users |
5.1 million (2005) |
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