Population (2003 est.): 42,768,678 (growth rate: 0%); birth rate: 18.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 60.8/1000; density per sq mi: 91
Administrative capital (2003 est.): Pretoria, 1,541,300 (metro. area), 1,249,700 (city proper); Legislative capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3,140,600 (metro. area), 2,733,000 (city proper); Judicial capital: Bloemfontein, 378,000. No decision has been made to relocate the seat of government. South Africa is demarcated into nine provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own capital
Other large cities: Durban/Pinetown, 2,396,100; Johannesburg, 1,675,200; East Rand, 1,378,792 (part of Johannesburg metro. area, 2000 est.)
Monetary unit: Rand
Languages: Xhosa and Zulu (official), English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Swati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda
Ethnicity/race: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions: Christian; Hindu; Islam
Literacy rate: 85%
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2001 est.): $412 billion; per capita $9,400. Real growth rate: 2.6%. Inflation: 5.8%. Unemployment: 37%. Arable land: 12%. Agriculture: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products. Labor force: 17 million economically active (2000); agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45%. Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs. Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas. Exports: $32.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.): gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment. Imports: $28.1 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.): machinery, foodstuffs and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments. Major trading partners: EU, U.S., Japan, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia.
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: more than 5 million (2001); mobile cellular: 7.06 million (2001). Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 17 million (2001). Television broadcast stations: 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 6 million (2000). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 150 (2001). Internet users: 3.068 million
Transportation: Railways: total: 20,384 km (2001). Highways: total: 358,596 km; paved: 59,753 km (including 1,927 km of expressways); unpaved: 298,843 km (1996). Ports and harbors: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha. Airports: 740 (2001).
