South Africa South Africa is a republic at the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the north-east by Mozambique and Swaziland. Lesotho is contained entirely inside the borders of South Africa. South Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa, and has the largest white population on the continent. Racial and ethnic strife have played a large role in much of the country's history and politics. Republic of South Africa (English) (listen) Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans) IRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (IsiZulu) Flag of South Africa South Africa: coat of arms (In Detail) (In detail) (Full size) National motto: !ke e: ǀxarra ǁke (Khoisan of the /Xam: diverse people unite) http://www.suedafrika.org/sae/en/index.asp?DocumentID=120 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/LocationSouthAfrica.png Official languages Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda Capitals Cape Town (legislative) Pretoria (administrative) Bloemfontein (judicial) Largest metropolitan area Johannesburg (2001 Census) President Thabo Mbeki Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 24th 1,219,912 km² Negligible Population  - Total (2002)  - Density Ranked 26th 43,647,658 36/km² Independence -Date1 From the UK: May 31, 1961 Currency Rand Time zone UTC +2 National anthem Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika (God Bless Africa)/Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (The Call of South Africa) Internet TLD .za Calling Code 27 (1) Formed as the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. Became the Republic of South Africa on May 31, 1961. Other names South Africa has 11 official languages, which is second in numbers only to India. As a result, there are many acceptable official names for the country. They are: Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans) Republic of South Africa (English) IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika (IsiNdebele) IRiphabliki yaseMzantsi Afrika (IsiXhosa) IRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (IsiZulu) Rephaboliki ya Afrika-Borwa (Sepedi) Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa (Sesotho) Rephaboliki ya Aforika Borwa (Setswana) IRiphabhulikhi yeNingizimu Afrika (SiSwati) Riphabuḽiki ya Afurika Tshipembe (Tshivenda) Riphabliki ra Afrika Dzonga (Xitsonga) It also recognises 8 non-official languages (Fanagalo, Lobedu, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, Sign Language, Khoe, Nama and San). Furthermore, a small number of South Africans use the name Azania in preference to 'South Africa', which they disapprove of for its colonial origins. Those using the name Azania are most often affiliated with parties coming from an Afrocentric left-wing tradition, such as the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania, and groups originating as schisms from it, such as the Azanian People's Organisation. History Main article: History of South Africa South Africa is one of the oldest nation-states in Africa. The area that is now South Africa was inhabited by the Khoi, San, Xhosa, Zulu and various other native tribes, when Dutch settlers arrived in 1652. Great Britain progressively encroached, leading to the Anglo-Dutch War and the two Boer wars. In 1910 the four main republics in the region united as the Union of South Africa. In 1931 South Africa became a fully sovereign and self-governing dominion under the British crown. In 1961 it became a republic. The descendants of the white settlers remained a minority among the black Africans. After the Second World War the whites were able to maintain their rule by implementing Apartheid, a series of harsh laws segregating the country along racial lines. The Apartheid system became increasingly controversial in the late 20th century, leading to widespread sanctions and growing unrest and oppression by the National Party government. In 1990, after a long period of resistance by various anti-apartheid movements, above all the African National Congress, the National Party government took the first step towards negotiating itself out of power, when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other leftwing political organisations, and released Nelson Mandela from prison after 27 years. Apartheid legislation was gradually scrapped from the statute books, and the first multiracial elections were held in 1994. The ANC won by an overwhelming majority, and has been in power ever since. Control of the country is now largely in the hands of the black majority, which makes up roughly 80 percent of the population. Despite the demise of Apartheid, millions of black South Africans continue to live in poverty, and the official unemployment rate is 40 percent. However, a series of voluntary and legislative moves, under the broad umbrella of BEE, or Black Economic Empowerment, have helped to redress decades of racial imbalance in the management and ownership of South African business and industry. Politics Main article: Politics of South Africa South Africa's government operates under a Westminister-inspired parliamentary system that is nevertheless noticably distinct from many others in the Commonwealth of Nations. The President of South Africa is Head of State as well as Head of Government. He or she is elected by a joint sitting of the bicameral Parliament, consisting of the National Assembly or lower house, and the National Council of Provinces, or upper house. In practice, the president is the leader of the majority party in parliament. The National Assembly has 400 members, elected by proportional representation. The National Council of Provinces (NCoP), which replaced the Senate in 1997 is made up of 90 members representing each of South Africa's nine provinces as well as the large cities. Each province of South Africa has a unicameral Provincial Legislature, and an Executive Council headed by a Premier. Provinces Main article: Provinces of South Africa South Africa is divided into nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape. Geography Map of South Africa Main article: Geography of South Africa South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. Economy Main article: Economy of South Africa South Africa is a middle-income, developed country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, although growth has been positive for ten consecutive years, it has not cut into the 40% unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the Apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. At the start of 2000, President Thabo Mbeki vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment by relaxing restrictive labour laws, stepping up the pace of privatization, and cutting unneeded governmental spending. His policies face strong opposition from organized labour. It is estimated that South Africa accounts for up to 25% of the GDP of the entire African continent, and that it produces around two thirds of the electricity used on the continent. South Africa has an estimated 4.79 million HIV infections. The government has recently, after much delay, devoted substantial resources to fighting the epidemic. A recent study (from the African Journal of Aids Research, Thomas Rehle and Olive Shisana) showed the infection rate starting to level off, (from 4.2% to 1.7% infection rate for 15-49 year olds), and AIDS deaths peaking at 487 320 in 2008. Since South Africa relaxed its border controls after the demise of apartheid, international crime syndicates have penetrated the country and a large proportion of the world's drug trade flows through its borders. South Africa is also the fourth-largest producer of marijuana in the world. The volatility of the Rand has affected economic activity, with the Rand plummeting during 2001 (hitting an historic low of R13.85 to the Dollar, raising fears of inflation, and causing the Reserve Bank to increase interest rates). The Rand has since dramatically recovered, trading at under R6 to the Dollar as of December 2004 (it's best levels since 1999) while the South African Reserve Bank's policy of inflation targeting has brought inflation under control. The stronger Rand has however put exporters under a lot of pressure, with many calling for government to intervene in the exchange rate to help soften the Rand and many others shedding jobs. Interest rates have been cut to it's lowest levels in more than two decades (550 basis points in 2003 alone) fueling economic growth, with South Africa recording 5.6% of economic growth in the 3rd quarter of 2004, the highest quarterly growth reported since 1996. Many economists feel that the country is entering a period of strong growth, with sustained annual growth of 5% or more no longer out of reach. Demographics Main article: Demographics of South Africa Culture Main article: Culture of South Africa List of South African poets Music of South Africa List of writers from South Africa Public holidays in South Africa Miscellaneous topics List of South Africa-related topics Communications in South Africa Transportation in South Africa Military of South Africa Foreign relations of South Africa List of South Africans List of postal codes in South Africa South African English Reporters without borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2003: Rank 21 out of 166 (3-way tie) (26 out of 139 countries in 2002) External links South Africa Government Online South African coats of arms A look at South Africa's history and geography, and how they are reflected in the evolving State coats of arms. 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