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| South Africa | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
Cereals and grains are South Africa's most valuable crops, occupying more than 60 % of hectarage under cultivation in the 1990s. Corn, the nation's most valuable crop, is a dietary staple, a source of farm animal feed, and an export crop. Government programs, including generous loans and extension services, have been crucial to the nation's self-sufficiency in this enterprise. Corn is grown commercially on large farms, and on more than 12,000 small farms, primarily in North-West, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Corn production generates at least 150,000 jobs in years with good rainfall and uses almost one-half of the inputs of the modern agricultural sector.
Corn production exceeds 10 million tons in good years; owing to regional drought in the early 1990s, production fell to just over 3 million tons in 1992, and roughly 5 million tons of corn were imported, at a cost of at least US$700 million. Both domestic and imported corn was shipped to neighboring countries to help ease the regional impacts of the drought. The drought eased in 1993, and officials around the 1994 harvest at around 12 million tons. Below-average rainfall in late 1994 again threatened to reduce corn output in 1995, and officials expected to import some 600,000 tons of corn in that year. Plentiful rain in late 1995 provided for a bumper crop in 1996.
Wheat production, which is concentrated in large, highly mechanized farms, also increased after World War II. Wheat cultivation spread from the western Cape where rainfall is fairly reliable, to the Orange Free State and the eastern Transvaal, primarily in response to rising consumer demand. But wheat harvest volumes vary widely; for example, roughly 2.1 million tons were produced in 1991 and only 1.3 million tons in 1992. Production in the early 1990s failed to meet local demand for about 2.2 million tons per year. Wheat imports in 1992, for example, cost more than US$5 million.
Dairy farming is found throughout the nation, particularly in the eastern half, and is sufficient to meet domestic needs, barring times of extreme drought. The predominant dairy breeds are Holstein, Friesian, and Jersey cows. The milk price was deregulated in 1983, resulting in lower prices, but industry regulations continued to enforce strict health precautions. In a system dating to 1930, all wholesale milk buyers pay a compulsory levy to the National Milk Board. This money is pooled in a stabilization fund and used to subsidize dairies manufacturing butter, skim milk powder, and cheese when a surplus exists. Fresh-milk dairies objected in the early 1990s, and several of them were involved in litigation to have the levy lifted.
| South Africa | Communications | Back to Top |
the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: 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
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
| South Africa | Culture | Back to Top |
Society is still being formed in South Africa in the 1990s. The region's earliest cultures have long since been displaced, and most people living in South Africa today are descendants of Africans who came to the region in the first millennium A.D. These early populations did not remain in one place over the centuries, however. Instead, their settlement patterns changed as numerous small chiefdoms were thrown into upheaval by increasing conflicts over land, the reached of European settlers after the 17th century, and 19th-century Zulu developmentism. During the twentieth century, several million South Africans were displaced by the government, particularly after the nation's system of apartheid invalidated many of their land claims.
As a result, South Africa became increasingly marginalized within the international community. Apartheid became so repugnant to so many people worldwide that this wealthy nation faced mounting economic and political pressures to end it. South Africa's growing isolation, together with the disastrous effects of apartheid, convinced most whites that racial separation would, in the long run, not guarantee their safety or prosperity. The government began dismantling racial barriers in the early 1990s, but apartheid-era distinctions left lasting marks on South African society, and the new, multiracial government in the mid-1990s faced too many pressing needs to spend much time celebrating its nation's newfound character.
| South Africa | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: South African National Defense Force or SANDF (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service or SAPS
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,469,812 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 6,977,328 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 466,399 (2001 est.)
| South Africa | International Disputes | Back to Top |
Swaziland has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom
| South Africa | Economy | Back to Top |
South Africa is changing economically from a producer of raw materials to an industrial nation that produces both raw materials and commercial products. The nation’s manufacturing, commerce, and services have been built considerablely on the foundations of mining and farming. The economy remained primarily agricultural for much of the 19th century until the find of diamonds at Kimberley in 1867 and gold on the Witwatersrand in the 1880s. Mining quickly became dominant, but was overtaken by manufacturing during World War II. South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) was $131.1 billion in 1999. The GDP per capita in South Africa is $3,110 per year
In the years since World War II, South Africa has experienced highly variable growth rates, including some years when its growth rate was among the highest in the world. Its gross domestic product (GDP) is the largest in Africa. Foreign capital has been considerablely inunconditional in South Africa, but the level of foreign investment declined in the time of slower growth and antiapartheid activity in the late 1970s and '80s. South Africa's economy long was dependent on agriculture and mining and on the export of commodities and import of manufactured goods. Since World War II the nation has built a well-developed manufacturing base, though it continues to import manufactured goods and remains dependent on the export of primary products. The high value of the precious metals that form the core of South Africa's mineral exports has enabled the nation to maintain a high and stable positive balance of trade.
South Africa is a middle-income, developing nation with an extensive 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. growth has not been strong enough to cut into the 30% unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, particularly the problems of poverty and deficiency of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. At the start of 2000, President MBEKI vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment, and to reduce poverty by relaxing restrictive labor laws, stepping up the pace of privatization, and cutting unneeded governmental spending.
| South Africa | Education | Back to Top |
Schools in South Africa, as elsewhere, reflect society's political philosophy and goals. The earliest mission schools aimed to inculcate literacy and new social and religious values, and schools for European immigrants aimed to preserve the values of previous generations. In the twentieth century, the education system assumed economic importance as it prepared young Africans for low-wage labor and protected the privileged white minority from competition. From the 1950s to the mid-1990s, no other social institution reflected the government's racial philosophy of apartheid more clearly than the education system. Because the schools were required both to teach and to practice apartheid, they were particularly vulnerable to the weaknesses of the system.
Under apartheid the education system was racially structured with separate national departments for whites, Coloureds, Asians, and blacks outside of the bantustans. Ten separate education departments were accomplished within the bantustans. Although government spending on black education increased greatly in the late 1980s, at the end of the apartheid era in 1994 per capita expenditures for white pupils were still four times higher than expenditures for blacks; spending on education for Asians and Coloured people was closer to spending for whites.
| South Africa | Government | Back to Top |
Political System: Federal state consisting of central government and nine provincial governments. Interim constitution: approved December 22, 1993, implemented April 27, 1994, intended to be in force until 1999, being replaced by final constitution in phases, 1997-99. Interim constitution provides for Government of National Unity: bicameral parliament includes 400-member National Assembly (popularly elected by party, list-system proportional representation based on universal vote at age eighteen), ninety-member Senate (indirectly elected by provincial legislators). President elected by parliament; deputy presidents named by parties winning 20 % of popular vote (minimum two). administrator branch under interim constitution: president, Nelson Mandela (African National Congress--ANC), two deputy presidents--Thabo Mbeki (ANC) and Frederik Willem de Klerk (National Party--NP). President appointed twenty-eight cabinet ministers from parties with 5 % of popular vote. administrator, legislative officials normally serve five-year terms. Final constitution drafted by Constitutional Assembly (both houses of parliament), 1996; replaces Government of National Unity with majoritarian rule: Party winning majority of popular vote names administrator officials; also replaces Senate with National Council of Provinces: six permanent members indirectly elected by each provincial legislature; each province fills additional four seats on national council by rotation from provincial legislature. NP abandoned Government of National Unity, June 1996, to become parliamentary opposition. Status of KwaZulu-Natal unresolved. Parliamentary Volkstaat Council considering proposals for self-determination by proapartheid whites in separate volkstaat.
Major political parties: ANC, NP, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Freedom Front (FF), Democratic Party (DP), Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP); several smaller parties. Next national elections scheduled 1999.
Administrative Divisions: Nine provinces, provisional boundaries subject to change by vote. Provinces (and capitals): Eastern Cape (Bisho), Mpumalanga (Nelspruit), Gauteng (Johannesburg), KwaZulu-Natal (Ulundi or Pietermaritzburg), Northern Cape (Kimberley), Northern Province (Pietersburg), North-West Province (Mmabatho), Free State (Bloemfontein),Western Cape (Cape Town).
Provincial and local government: Nine provincial governments formed by list-system proportional representation. Provincial premier (administrator) appoints administrator Council (cabinet) based on party strength; provincial assemblies, 30 to 100 legislators based on party strength. November 1995 elections for 688 metropolitan, town, and rural councils, except in KwaZulu-Natal (violence), areas of Western Cape (boundary disputes). Low voter turnout; ANC 66.3 %, NP 16.2 %, Freedom Front 5 %. Western Cape elections, May 29, 1996; NP won control of all contested councils; ANC second. KwaZulu-Natal elections, June 26, 1996, IFP 44.5 %, ANC 33.2 % (concentration in urban areas). Provincial authority still being defined; provincial constitutions, once approved by Constitutional Court, could give provincial governments most responsibility for agriculture, education (except universities), health and welfare, housing, police, environmental affairs, language use, media, transportation, sports and recreation, tourism, urban and rural development, and role of orthodox leaders. Status of volkstaat not yet determined.
Judicial System: Based on Roman-Dutch law, altered by British rule and post-freedom constitutions. Interim constitution of 1993 empaneled eleven-judge Constitutional Court to rule on legislative constitutionality. Supreme Court: Appellate Division (Bloemfontein); six provincial division headquarters: Cape Town, Grahamstown, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria; local divisions. Lower courts: district magistrates hear cases concerning lesser offenses. Judges or magistrates decide guilt or innocence; jury system abolished 1969. Penalties include corporal punishment (whipping). Death penalty abolished in 1995.
Foreign Affairs: Global diplomatic isolation ended in early 1990s. Foreign policy goals: freedom from foreign interference; desire to balance friendships with powerful donor nations against loyalty to former antiapartheid allies; desire for close political ties to Africa, close economic ties to Asian "tigers."
International Memberships: Participation in United Nations restored, June 1994. Membership: British Commonwealth of Nations, International Labour Organisation, International Telecommunications Union, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Nonaligned Movement (NAM), Organization of African Unity (OAU), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Universal Postal Union, World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization, World Meteorological Organization, World Trade Organization.
| South Africa | History | Back to Top |
History has a compelling importance in South Africa. Political protagonists often refer to historical events and individuals in expounding their different points of view. The African National Congress ,for example, has as one of its symbols the shield of Bambatha, a Zulu chief who died leading the last armed uprising of Africans against the British in 1906. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the former KwaZulu homeland and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), often refers to Shaka Zulu, the first great monarch to arise in South Africa, who created a large military state in the 1820s. Afrikaners have often called themselves a "chosen people," ordained by God to rule in South Africa. They have argued that their ancestors settled the subcontinent before any African, but that for the past 200 years they have had to fight against the treachery of Africans and the oppression of British imperialists. The study of the history of South Africa, therefore, is a highly contentious arena marked by wide variations of interpretation and infused with politics.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's most popular anti-apartheid leader, had witnessed the rise and decline of apartheid firsthand. In the mid-1980s, after more than twenty years in prison for opposing apartheid, he assumed a central role in helping to end it. Government and opposition leaders met for talks--tentative ones at first, and then with greater confidence and amid more publicity--and they agreed on a general approach to political reform. Four years of difficult and uneven progress, amid escalating violence and competing political pressures, finally paid off in 1994, when South Africa held its first multiracial democratic elections. And while both sides could claim some of the success in achieving this historic goal, both sides also faced even greater challenges in trying to establish a stable multiracial society in the decades ahead.
| South Africa | Introduction | Back to Top |
South Africa, Republic of, republic and southernmost nation of continental Africa, bordered on the north-west by Namibia; on the north by Botswana and Zimbabwe; on the north-east by Mozambique and Swaziland; on the east and south by the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The independent nation of Lesotho forms an enclave in the eastern part of the nation. South Africa has an area of 1,224,691 sq km (472,731 sq mi). The administrative capital of South Africa is Pretoria, the legislative capital is Cape Town, and the judicial capital is Bloemfontein.
Population 42,327,458 (1997 estimate) Population Density 35 people/sq km (90 people/sq mi) (1997 estimate) Urban/Rural Breakdown 60%Urban 40%Rural Largest Cities Cape Town854,616 Durban715,669 Johannesburg712,507 Pretoria525,583 (1991 census) Largest Metropolitan Areas Cape Town2,350,157 Johannesburg1,916,063 Durban1,137,378 Pretoria1,080,187 (1991 census) Ethnic Groups 75.2%black African including Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, and Sotho 13.6%White including Afrikaners and British 8.6%Coloured (mixed race) 2.6%Asian mostly Indians Languages Official Languages Afrikaans, Tsonga, English, Ndebele, Sesotho, Sesotho sa Lebowa, Swazi, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu Other Languages Portuguese, German, Dutch and other European languages, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, and other Asian languages Religions 17%orthodox African religions 16%Dutch Reformed Protestantism 13%African Christianity 11%Methodism 9%Roman Catholicism 7%Anglicanism 27%Other including other Christian denominations, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism
| South Africa | Land | Back to Top |
N/A
| South Africa | Languages | Back to Top |
Afrikaans and English were official languages, although they represent the home languages of only 15 % and 9 % of the total population, respectively. Afrikaans is spoken not only by Afrikaners but also by 83 % of Coloured people. English is the primary language of many whites, but also is spoken by 95 % of Asians. The 1994 constitution added nine African languages to the list of recognized, official languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho or Pedi), Tswana, Sesotho (Southern Sotho), Tsonga, Venda, Ndebele, and siSwati. Some of these African languages are mutually understood and many blacks can speak two or more of them, in addition to English and Afrikaans. Together these 11 languages are the primary languages of 98 % of South Africans. Many Indians also speak Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Gujarati, and Urdu.
| South Africa | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations vote: 18 years of age; universal administrator branch: chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); administrator Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); administrator Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 2004) election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; % of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) note: ANC-IFP governing coalition Legislative branch: 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 elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held 2 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: National Assembly - % of vote by party - ANC 66.4%, DP 9.6%, IFP 8.6%, NP 6.9%, UDM 3.4%, ACDP 1.4%, FF 0.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - ANC 266, DP 38, IFP 34, NP 28, UDM 14, ACDP 6, FF 3, other 11; National Council of Provinces - % of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts
| South Africa | Life | Back to Top |
In general, all racial and ethnic groups in South Africa have long-standing beliefs concerning gender roles, and most are based on the premise that women are less valuable, or less deserving of power, than men. Most African orthodox social organizations are male centered and male controlled. Even in the 1990s, in some rural areas of South Africa, for example, wives walk a few paces behind their husbands in keeping with orthodox practices. Afrikaner religious beliefs, too, include a strong emphasis on the theoretically biblically based notion that women's contributions to society should normally be approved by, or be on behalf of, men.
20th-century economic and political developments presented South African women with both new obstacles and new opportunities to wield determine. For example, labor force requirements in cities and mining areas have often drawn men away from their homes for months at a time, and, as a result, women have borne many traditionally male responsibilities in the village and home. Women have had to guarantee the day-to-day survival of their families and to carry out financial and legal transactions that otherwise would have been reserved for men.
| South Africa | organization | Back to Top |
ACP, AfDB, BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
| South Africa | People | Back to Top |
South Africa has a wealth of natural resources, but also some severe environmental problems. The mainstay of the economy, the mining industry, has introduced environmental concerns, and mineowners have taken some steps in recent years to minimize the damage from this enterprise. Agriculture suffers from both land and water shortages, and commercial farming practices have taken a toll on the land. Energy production, too, has often contributed to environmental neglect.
The largest cities in South Africa include Cape Town ,the legislative capital; Durban,the nation’s leading port; Johannesburg , the commercial capital and metropolis of the goldfields; Pretoria ,the administrative capital; and Port Elizabeth ,an industrial city and major port. Although it is not a city, Soweto, a township outside Johannesburg, is one of the largest communities in South Africa. The 1991 census counted 596,632 residents in Soweto, but estimates have placed the population at as many as 2 million.
The original Khoikhoi and San peoples of South Africa scarcely exist as distinct groups inside the nation today. Other African peoples entered the nation several hundred and even thousands of years ago, and their descendants today constitute about three-fourths of South Africa's population. The African population is heterogeneous, composed mainly of four linguistic groups. The largest is the Nguni, including various Ndebele, Swazi, Xhosa, and Zulu peoples, who constitute more than half the African population of the nation and form the majority in many eastern and coastal regions. The second largest is Sotho-Tswana, which includes numerous Sotho, Pedi, and Tswana peoples and forms a majority in many Highveld areas. The last two are the Tsonga, or Shangaan, concentrated in Northern and Mpumalanga provinces, and the Venda, concentrated in Northern province.
| South Africa | Politics | Back to Top |
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the New National Party or NP) [Anthony LEON, leader]; Freedom Front or FF [Constand VILJOEN, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
| South Africa | Provinces | Back to Top |
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Northern Province, Western Cape
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| South Africa | Time | Back to Top |
| South Africa | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Countries Currency Unit | ZAR/Unit | Units/ZAR | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.146716 | 6.81587 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 11.3578 | 0.0880455 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 3.85662 | 0.259294 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 6.05953 | 0.165029 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.718932 | 1.39095 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 11.3578 | 0.0880455 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 5.70742 | 0.175211 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.245234 | 4.07774 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 11.3578 | 0.0880455 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 4.88506 | 0.204706 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 16.1946 | 0.0617490 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 5.08024 | 0.196841 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 7.12012 | 0.140447 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.0173018 | 57.7975 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 1.37214 | 0.728788 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 17.2873 | 0.0578459 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.320398 | 3.12112 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 1.33165 | 0.750946 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 4.20658 | 0.237723 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 2.45176 | 0.407871 |
| EUR | Euro | 9.89272 | 0.101084 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 5.08177 | 0.196782 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 1.66384 | 0.601021 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 1.50814 | 0.663070 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 5.05807 | 0.197704 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 3,432.83 | 0.000291305 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.0290322 | 34.4445 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 1.45620 | 0.686720 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.0406832 | 24.5802 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.113585 | 8.80400 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.232722 | 4.29697 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.00115607 | 864.997 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 12.5612 | 0.0796104 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 2.39467 | 0.417595 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.00510916 | 195.727 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.238558 | 4.19185 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.0856220 | 11.6792 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 16.0194 | 0.0624243 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.00750182 | 133.301 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.245234 | 4.07774 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 2.98967 | 0.334485 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 1.26053 | 0.793319 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 5.00290 | 0.199884 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 1.28283 | 0.779525 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 4.48912 | 0.222761 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.189138 | 5.28713 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.222614 | 4.49208 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 5,894.43 | 0.000169652 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 2.76226 | 0.362022 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.0493447 | 20.2656 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.000344854 | 2,899.78 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.364967 | 2.73998 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 3.02869 | 0.330176 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 52.5846 | 0.0190170 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 6.16532 | 0.162198 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.236866 | 4.22179 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.00859912 | 116.291 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.0594565 | 16.8190 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 14.1610 | 0.0706163 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.0436837 | 22.8918 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 1.09621 | 0.912233 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 6.75548 | 0.148028 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.324972 | 3.07719 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.260788 | 3.83454 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 1.85584 | 0.538839 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.00000845010 | 118,341.79 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.0123348 | 81.0714 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.00254089 | 393.564 |
| South Africa : Geographic coordinates | 29 00 S, 24 00 E |
| South Africa : Population growth rate | 0.26% |
| South Africa : Birth rate | 21.12 births/1,000 population |
| South Africa : Death rate | 16.77 deaths/1,000 population |
| South Africa : People living with HIV/AIDS | 4.2 million |
| South Africa : Independence | 31 May 1910 |
| South Africa : National holiday | Freedom Day, 27 April |
| South Africa : Constitution | 10 December 1996 |
| South Africa : GDP | purchasing power parity - $369 billion |
| South Africa : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,500 |
| South Africa : Electricity - consumption | 172.393 billion kWh |
| South Africa : Exports | $30.8 billion gold, diamonds, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment |
| South Africa : Imports | $27.6 billion machinery, foodstuffs and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments |
| South Africa : Telephones | 5.075 million |
| South Africa : Mobile cellular | 2,000,000 |
| South Africa : Radio broadcast stations | AM 14, FM 347, shortwave 1 |
| South Africa : Radios | 13.75 million |
| South Africa : Television broadcast stations | 556 |
| South Africa : Televisions | 5.2 million |
| South Africa : Internet country code | .za |
| South Africa : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 44 |
| South Africa : Internet users | 1.82 million |
| South Africa : Railways | 20,384 km |
| South Africa : Highways | 358,596 km |
| South Africa : Waterways | N/A |
| South Africa : Pipelines | crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km |
| South Africa : Ports and harbors | Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha |
| South Africa : Merchant marine | 8 ships |
| South Africa : Airports | 741 |
| South Africa : Heliports | N/A |
| South Africa : Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services |
| South Africa : Military expenditures | $2 billion |