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South Africa

ZA / ZAF   -29.0°, 24.0°

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. South Africa also encloses Lesotho. Covering an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres, the country has a population of over 63 million people, making it the sixth-most populated country in Africa, and 24th-most in the world.

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Capital
Pretoria, Cape Town
Population
62,027,503
Area
1,221,037 km2
Climate
Desert or arid
Government
Parliamentary republic
Currency
rand
Languages
IsiZulu or Zulu 25.3%, IsiXhosa or Xhosa 14.8%, Afrikaans 12.2%
Sells
gold, platinum, coal, cars
Sells to
China 19%, USA 8%, Germany 7%
Land borders
6: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia ...
Drives on the
left
Calling code
+27
Founded
1910
Hemisphere
Southern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

IsiZulu or Zuluofficial
25.3%
14.8%
Afrikaansofficial
12.2%
Sepedi or Pediofficial
10.1%
9.1%

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Exports

gold platinum coal cars iron ore

Imports

refined petroleum crude petroleum gold cars broadcasting equipment

Trades with

China19.0% USA8.0% Germany7.0% India7.0% UK6.0% UAE4.0%

Natural resources

gold chromium antimony coal iron ore manganese

Industries

mining automobile assembly metalworking machinery textiles iron and steel

Farms and fisheries

  • sugarcane
  • maize
  • milk
  • soybeans
  • potatoes
  • wheat

Largest cities

Johannesburg 9,418,183
Cape Town 4,772,846
Durban 3,338,026
Pretoria  capital 2,112,693
Soweto 1,695,047

Wars and conflicts

Click one to see everyone else who fought in it.

World War II1939–1945 World War I1914–1918 Second Boer War1899–1902 Mozambican Civil War1977–1992 Korean War1950–1953 Angolan Civil War1975–2002 Rhodesian Bush War1964–1979

Form of government

Parliamentary republic.

representative democracy parliamentary republic apartheid?–1994

Money, belief and alliances

Money

rand

Belongs to

International Civil Defence Organisation United Nations World Meteorological Organization International Development Association Southern African Development Community Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons African Union Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Commonwealth of Nations Missile Technology Control Regime Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency UNESCO Southern African Customs Union International Bank for Reconstruction and Development World Health Organization Nuclear Suppliers Group

Climate and geography

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

Climate zone

Desert or arid

Highest point

Mafadi

Landmarks and landscapes

Table Mountain Kruger National Park Cape of Good Hope Drakensberg

Southern hemisphere.

Land borders (6)

Botswana Lesotho Mozambique Namibia Eswatini Zimbabwe

In charge right now

Cyril Ramaphosa
Cyril Ramaphosa Head of state and government

Figures from its history

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela First president of a democratic South Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.
Shaka
Shaka King who forged the Zulu kingdom Shaka kaSenzangakhona, also known as Shaka Zulu, Shaka the Zulu, and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828.
F. W. de Klerk
F. W. de Klerk President who ended apartheid Frederik Willem de Klerk was a South African politician who served as the final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996.

Leaders before them

Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma 2009 to 2018
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