]! ^! After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule. 
]" ^" Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa ^# 29 00 S, 24 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 1,219,912 sq km `" 1,219,912 sq km `# 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) ^& slightly less than twice the size of Texas ^' `! 4,862 km `U Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km ^( 2,798 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin ^* mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights ^+ vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Njesuthi 3,408 m ^- gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas ^. `' 12.08% `( 0.79% `) 87.13% (2001) ^/ 13,500 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 prolonged droughts ^1 lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification _J `K Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `L none of the selected agreements ^2 South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland 
]# ^3 44,344,136 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 2005 est.) ^4 `* 30.3% (male 6,760,137/female 6,682,013) `+ 64.5% (male 13,860,727/female 14,750,496) `, 5.2% (male 893,360/female 1,397,403) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 23.98 years `- 23.12 years `. 24.86 years (2005 est.) ^6 -0.31% (2005 est.) ^7 18.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 21.32 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.02 male(s)/female `0 1.01 male(s)/female `+ 0.94 male(s)/female `, 0.64 male(s)/female `1 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 61.81 deaths/1,000 live births `- 65.6 deaths/1,000 live births `. 57.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 43.27 years `- 43.47 years `. 43.06 years (2005 est.) ^= 2.24 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 21.5% (2003 est.) ^? 5.3 million (2003 est.) ^@ 370,000 (2003 est.) ^A `2 South African(s) `3 South African ^B black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census) ^C Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, other Christian 36%, Islam 1.5%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) ^D 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) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 86.4% `- 87% `. 85.7% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of South Africa `5 South Africa `X Union of South Africa `Y RSA ^H republic ^I Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center ^J 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape ^K 31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum ^L Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) ^M 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases ^N based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Cabinet appointed by the president `9 president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009) `: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition ^Q bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution `9 National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) `: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA ^R Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts ^S African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance or DA (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the Freedom Alliance or FA) [Anthony LEON]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] ^T Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC ^U ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima MASEKELA `O 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 232-4400 `Q [1] (202) 265-1607 `R Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York ^W `N Ambassador Jendayi E. FRAZER `Z 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria `[ P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 `P [27] (12) 342-1048 `Q [27] (12) 342-2244 `R Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg ^X two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes 
]% ^Y South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural 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, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income. ^Z $491.4 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 3.5% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2004 est.) ^] `; 3.6% `< 31.2% `= 65.2% (2004 est.) ^^ 16.63 million economically active (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.) ^` 26.2% (2004 est.) ^a 50% (2000 est.) _! `> 1.1% `? 45.9% (1994) _d 59.3 (1993-94) _" 4.5% (2004 est.) _P 16.7% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $47.43 billion `A $52.54 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _Q 45.9% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products _% mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair _& 5.5% (2004 est.) _' 202.6 billion kWh (2002) _( 189.4 billion kWh (2002) _) 6.95 billion kWh (2002) _* 7.873 billion kWh (2002) _+ 196,200 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 7.84 million bbl (1 January 2002) _S 1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.) _T 1.8 billion cu m (2001 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 0 cu m (2001 est.) _W 14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-2.48 billion (2004 est.) _/ $41.97 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment (1998 est.) _1 US 10.2%, UK 9.2%, Japan 9%, Germany 7.1%, Netherlands 4% (2004) _2 $39.42 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs (2000 est.) _4 Germany 14.2%, US 8.5%, China 7.5%, Japan 6.9%, UK 6.9%, France 6%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%, Iran 5% (2004) _Y $11.68 billion (2004 est.) _5 $27.01 billion (2004 est.) _6 $487.5 million (2000) _7 rand (ZAR) _8 rand per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000) _9 1 April - 31 March 
]& _: 4.844 million (2002) _; 16.86 million (2003) _< `B the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa `C consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria `D country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) _> 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997) _? .za _@ 288,633 (2003) _A 3.1 million (2002) 
]' _e `! 20,872 km `c 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge note: includes a 1,210 km commuter rail system (2004) _B `! 275,971 km `E 57,568 km (including 2,032 km of expressways) `F 218,403 km (2002) _[ condensate 100 km; gas 1,052 km; oil 847 km; refined products 1,354 km (2004) _C Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay _K `! 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,505 GRT/37,091 DWT by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 1 `S 1 (Denmark 1) `\ 7 (2005) _D 728 (2004 est.) _E `! 144 `] 10 `G 5 `^ 51 `_ 67 `T 11 (2004 est.) _L `! 584 `^ 34 `_ 300 `T 250 (2004 est.) 
]( _F South African National Defense Force (SANDF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Joint Operations, Joint Support, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2004) _M 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in non-combat roles - dating back to World War I (2004) _] males age 18-49: 10,354,769 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,927,757 (2005 est.) _^ `` 512,407 (2005 est.) _N $3.172 billion (2004) _O 1.5% (2004) _G with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete 
]) _H South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River _I transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region 