south africa

2010-05-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Coordinates: 29°02′46″S 25°03′47″E / 29.046°S 25.063°E / -29.046; 25.063 The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, ...

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This article is about the country in southern Africa. For its predecessor, see Union of South Africa. For the southern region of Africa, see Southern Africa.

Not to be confused with South African Republic.

Republic of South Africa [show]


Flag	Coat of arms

Motto: !ke e: ǀxarra ǁke (ǀXam)
"Unity In Diversity"

Anthem: National anthem of South Africa

Capital Pretoria (executive)
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Cape Town (legislative)

Largest city Johannesburg (2006) ^[2]

Official language(s)

11^[3][show]

Ethnic groups 79.3% Black
9.1% White
9.0% Coloured
2.6% Asian^[4]

Demonym

South African

Government

Constitutional democracy

- President Jacob Zuma

- Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe

- NCOP Chairman M. J. Mahlangu

- National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu

- Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo

Independence from the United Kingdom

- Union 31 May 1910

- Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931

- Republic 31 May 1961

Area

- Total 1 221 037 km² (25^th)
471 443 sq mi

- Water (%) Negligible

Population

- 2009 estimate 49,320,000^[4] (25^th)

- 2001 census 44 819 778^[5]

- Density 41/km² (170^th)
106.2/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2009 estimate

- Total $505.214 billion^[6]

- Per capita $10,243^[6]

GDP (nominal) 2009 estimate

- Total $287.219 billion^[6]

- Per capita $5,823^[6]

Gini (2000) 57.8 (high)

HDI (2009) 0.683 ▲ (medium) (129^th)

Currency Rand (ZAR)

Time zone SAST (UTC+2)

Drives on the left

Coordinates: 29°02′46″S 25°03′47″E / 29.046°S 25.063°E / -29.046; 25.063 The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) coastline^[7]^[8] on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.^[9] To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory.^[10]

Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for more than 100,000 years. At the time of European contact, the dominant indigenous peoples were tribes who had migrated from other parts of Africa about one thousand years before. From the 4th-5th century CE, Bantu-speaking tribes had steadily moved south, where they displaced, conquered and assimilated original Khoikhoi and San peoples of southern Africa. At the time of European contact, the two major groups were the Xhosa and Zulu peoples.

In 1652, a century and a half after the discovery of the Cape Sea Route, the Dutch East India Company founded a refreshment station at what would become Cape Town.^[11] Cape Town became a British colony in 1806. European settlement expanded during the 1820s as the Boers (original Dutch, Flemish, German and French settlers) and the British 1820 Settlers claimed land in the north and east of the country. Conflicts arose among the Xhosa, Zulu and Afrikaner groups who competed for territory.

The discovery of diamonds and later gold triggered the 19th-century conflict known as the Anglo-Boer War, as the Boers and the British fought for the control of the South African mineral wealth. Although the British defeated the Boers, they gave limited independence to South Africa in 1910 as a British dominion. Within the country, anti-British policies among white South Africans focused on independence. During the Dutch and British colonial years, racial segregation was mostly informal, though some legislation were enacted to control the settlement and movement of native people, including the Native Location Act of 1879 and the system of pass laws.^[12]^[13]^[14] Power was held by the European colonists.

In the Boer republics,^[15] from as early as the Pretoria Convention (chapter XXVI),^[16] and subsequent South African governments, the system became legally institutionalised segregation, later known as apartheid. The government established three classes of racial stratification: white, coloured, and black, with rights and restrictions for each.

South Africa became a republic in 1961. Despite opposition both within and outside the country, the government legislated for a continuation of apartheid. As the 20th century went on, some Western nations and institutions began to boycott doing business with the country because of its racial policies and oppression of civil rights. After years of internal protests, activism and insurgency by black South Africans and their allies, finally in 1990, the South African government began negotiations that led to dismantling of discriminative laws, and democratic elections in 1994. The country then rejoined the Commonwealth of Nations.

South Africa is known for a diversity in cultures and languages. Eleven official languages are recognised in the constitution.^[9] Two of these languages are of European origin: Afrikaans, a language which originated mainly from Dutch that is spoken by the majority of white and Coloured South Africans, and South African English. Though English has a large role in public and commercial life, it is nevertheless only the fifth most-spoken home language.^[9] South Africa is ethnically diverse. About 79.5% of the South African population is of black African ancestry,^[4] divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, nine of which have official status.^[9] South Africa also contains the largest European, Indian, and racially-mixed communities in Africa. About a quarter of the population is unemployed^[17] and lives on less than US $1.25 a day.^[18]

South Africa is one of the founding members of the African Union, and has the largest economy of all the members. It is also a founding member of the United Nations and NEPAD. South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Antarctic Treaty System, Group of 77, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Southern African Customs Union, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, G20 and G8+5.

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