Land surface area
1 220 813 km2 (2022)
*www.stassa.gov.za
Geography:
Situated at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa has a landmass of 1 220 813 km2 (2022) edged on 3 sides by nearly 3000km coastline washed by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The country shares boundaries with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini.
Climate:
South Africa has a temperate climate and is known for its long sunny days, hence the title: ‘Sunny South Africa.’ Most of the provinces have summer rainfall, except for the Western Cape (winter rainfall). Winter is from May to August; Spring from September to October; Summer from November to February and Autumn from March to April.
Population
Total: 60,6 million (2022)
Male: 29,62 million or 48,9% (2022)
Female: 30,98 million or 51,1% (2022)
*www.stassa.gov.za
Government
Constitutional, multi-party democratic government with three spheres of government– local, provincial, and national government.
Political system:
South Africa is a multi-party political system. The country is headed by a State President, H.E. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa who is also the President of the ruling party – the African National Congress (ANC).
Capitals
Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial).
The Constitutional Court (https://www.concourt.org.za) is located in Johannesburg.
Provinces:
There are nine provinces in South Africa, namely: Eastern Cape, Free State, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal; Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. All these provinces vary considerably in size. The smallest and crowded is Gauteng which has a highly urbanized and is the economic hub of the country. The largest and less populated province is Northern Cape, which takes up almost a third of South Africa’s total land area. Each province has its own Provincial government.
*Provincial’s Official website: www.gov.za/links/provincial-government
*Information on each province: www.gcis.gov.za/sites/default/files/18%20Provinces%202021-22.pdf
Key economic sectors
(The Department of Trade Industry and Competition: www.thedtic.gov.za)
Mining, transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
Currency
South Africa’s currency is the Rand. The rand comes in a range of coins (R1 = 100 cents) and note denominations of R10, R50, R100.
Time
GMT +2 hours.
National Symbols:
The South African flag is a much-loved symbol of patriotism and other significant national emblems include: National bird: the blue crane; National animal: the springbok; National fish: the galjoen; National flower: the protea and National tree: the yellowwood.
Official languages
There are eleven official languages namely: English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, Afrikaans, Siswati, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Sign language has now been declared the 12th official language.
Transportation
Excellent roads, rail and air facilities (both domestic and international). Public transport in major cities include the Gautrain (www.gautrain.co.za) between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the Bus Rapid Transport System (www.transport.gov.za/bus-rapid-transport) in major cities.
Telecommunications
World-class infrastructure. Internet and Wi-Fi access is widely available. The four major mobile service providers (cellular) are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom Mobile
Health
Top-quality public and private healthcare service is available throughout the country. Malaria precautions are necessary in some areas.
Religions:
Almost 80% of South Africa’s population is Christian. Other major religious groups include Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists. A minority of the population don’t belong to any of the major religions. The Constitution guarantees freedom of worship.
Electricity:
The South African electricity supply is 220/230 volts AC 50 HZ. With a few exceptions (in deep rural areas) electricity is available in most areas.
Airports:
There are three (3) major international airports in South Africa are: OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), Cape Town International Airport and King Shaka International Airport (Durban) as well as nine (9) regional airports including the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) in Nelspruit.
More information
Source: Official Guide to South Africa (www.gcis.gov.za/content/resource-centre/sa-info/official-guide-south-africa-201920)
