South Africa
Parliamentary republicIndependent since 1910
Official:
Republic of South Africa
Local name:
Suid-Afrika / South Africa / Sewula Afrika
Region:
Southern Africa
Area:
1,219,090 km²
Capital:
Pretoria
Geography
South Africa is a country on the southern tip of Africa. The land has a total area of 1,219,090 km² (470,693 mi²) and a total coastline of 2,798 km (1,738.6 mi). This land area is approximately 175% of the area of Texas. South Africa is thus one of the largest countries in Africa and the 25th biggest in the world. More than half of all residents (68%) live within cities.South Africa is comparatively high at an average elevation of 1034 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Mafadi) is at 3,450 meters. There are direct national borders with the six neighboring countries Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. The distance between New York City and the Capital Pretoria is about 12,830 km (7,972 mi).
On further pages:
Current time in South Africa:
The countrywide time in South Africa is South Africa Standard Time (SAST).
As in many countries, there is no daylight savings time in South Africa.
Related to Greenwich Mean Time, there's the same difference of 2 hours all over the year.
Public Holidays in South AfricaSunrise and sunset00:00
June 2023
The countrywide time in South Africa is South Africa Standard Time (SAST).
As in many countries, there is no daylight savings time in South Africa.
Related to Greenwich Mean Time, there's the same difference of 2 hours all over the year.
Population
Population:59,392,000
Population per km²:48.72
Life expectancy males:Ø 59.5 years
Life expectancy females:
Ø 65.0 yearsBirth rate:
19.8 ‰Death rate:
11.4 ‰Males/Females:
48.7% : 51.4%Population pyramid
The currency in South Africa is the South African rand (ZAR).
1 Rand is divided into 100 Cents.
Status: 06/06/2023
1 Rand is divided into 100 Cents.
Status: 06/06/2023
1 US dollar = 19.24 Rands
100 Rands = 5.20 US dollar
100 Rands = 5.20 US dollar
The climate in South Africa
In South Africa, a subtropical climate dominates. In the summer months there is hardly any precipitation and the usual evaporation ensures a strong dryness. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 20 and 29 degrees. In some parts of the country, the temperature rises to 33 °C. In the colder months, and depending in the region, the temperature drops to 5 °C in a month's average.Average daytime and nighttime temperatures
Languages
Official languages:
Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swazi, Venda, Ndebele
| Mother tongue | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Zulu | 22.7 % |
| Xhosa | 16.0 % |
| Afrikaans | 13.5 % |
| English | 9.6 % |
| Sepedi | 9.1 % |
| Tswana | 8.0 % |
| Sotho | 7.6 % |
| Tsonga | 4.5 % |
| Swazi | 2.5 % |
| Venda | 2.4 % |
| Ndebele | 2.1 % |
| other | 2.0 % |
Religions
| Religion | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Methodists | 6.8% |
| Reformed Church | 6.7% |
| Pentecostals | 8.2% |
| Catholics | 7.1% |
| Anglicans | 3.8% |
| other Christs | 36.0% |
| Muslims | 1.5% |
| Jews | 0.2% |
| nondenominational | 15.1% |
| other | 14.6% |
more...
Economy
| GDP: | 419.02 bn $ |
| Exportations: | 130.81 bn $ |
| Importations: | 104.78 bn $ |
| › Tourism receipts: | 2.72 bn $ |
| › Debt rate: | 68.98 % |
| › Unemployment rate: | 29.8 % |
| › Inflation rate: | 7.04 % |
| › Corruption index: | 43 (bad) |
| › Energy consumption: | 202.3 bn kWh |
According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), South Africa is a developing country because of its lower economic performance. Despite this classification, the country is currently also one of the emerging markets, i.e. countries with increasing industrialization.
In terms of revenues, South Africa ranks only 99th in the world and, with an average annual income of 6,530 USD is one of the upper middle-income countries.
Land use
| 4% Urban areas: | 53,460 km² |
| 80% Agricultural areas: | 973,200 km² |
| 14% Forest: | 171,404 km² |
| 0% Water areas: | 6,000 km² |
| 2% Others: | 21,026 km² |
more...
Transport
| Roadways: | 750,000 km |
| Railways: | 20,986 km |
| Commercial harbors: | 105 |
| › Airports: | 18 |
Most important cities
| City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Pretoria / Capital | Gauteng | 742,000 |
| Johannesburg | Gauteng | 957,000 |
| Pietermaritzburg | KwaZulu-Natal | 751,000 |
| Benoni | Gauteng | 605,000 |
| Durban | KwaZulu-Natal | 595,000 |
| Tembisa | Gauteng | 512,000 |
| East London | Eastern Cape | 479,000 |
| Vereeniging | Gauteng | 475,000 |
| Bloemfontein | Orange Free State | 463,000 |
| Boksburg | Gauteng | 445,000 |
| Cape Town | Western Cape | 434,000 |
| Welkom | Orange Free State | 432,000 |
| Newcastle | KwaZulu-Natal | 405,000 |
| Port Elizabeth | Eastern Cape | 312,000 |
| Botshabelo | Orange Free State | 310,000 |
| Witbank | Mpumalanga | 262,000 |
| Richards Bay | KwaZulu-Natal | 253,000 |
| Uitenhage | Eastern Cape | 229,000 |
| Paarl | Western Cape | 190,000 |
| Kimberley | Northern Cape | 142,000 |
| Bhisho | Eastern Cape | 137,000 |
| Polokwane | Limpopo | 124,000 |
| Nelspruit | Mpumalanga | 110,000 |
| Mahikeng | North-West | 14,000 |
Political indicators
(Based on the "Worldwide Governance Indicators" project of the World Bank)
| Political stability: | ◈ |
| Rule of law: | ◈ |
| Effectivity: | ◈ |
| Regulatory quality: | ◈ |
| Voice accountability: | ◈ |
| Death penalty: | abolished in 1997 |
Existing trade agreements
Alliances
Country comparison: Nigeria / South Africa
Zimbabwe: country data and statistics
List of 152 developing countries