Data at glance of South Africa - average on period

History

Some of the earliest human remains in the fossil record were found in South Africa. By about A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking groups began settling into what is now northeastern South Africa, displacing Khoisan-speaking groups to the southwest. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many settlers of Dutch descent -- known then as "Boers," or farmers, but later called Afrikaners -- trekked north to found their own republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the 1820s, several decades of wars began as the Zulus expanded their territory, moving out of what is today southeastern South Africa and clashing with other indigenous peoples and the growing European settlements. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred mass immigration, predominantly from Europe.The Zulu kingdom's territory was incorporated into the British Empire after the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, and the Afrikaner republics were incorporated after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899-1902). Beginning in 1910, the British and the Afrikaners ruled together under the Union of South Africa, which left the British Commonwealth to become a fully self-governing republic in 1961 after a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid -– billed as "separate development" of the races -- which favored the White minority and suppressed the Black majority and other non-White groups. The African National Congress (ANC) led the resistance to apartheid, and many top ANC leaders such as Nelson MANDELA spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts from some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to unban the ANC and negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa has since struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in wealth, housing, education, and health care under successive administrations. President Cyril RAMAPHOSA, who was reelected as the ANC leader in 2022, has made some progress in reigning in corruption. 

Environment

Area: 1,219,090 km2

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

Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gasnote: South Africa was the World's leading chromite ore producer in 2022 with an output of 18,000 mt

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6%  (2021 est.)note: Colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry who developed a distinct cultural identity over several hundred years

Languages: isiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2% (2018 est.)major-language sample(s): Die Wereld Feite Boek, n’ onontbeerlike bron vir basiese informasie. (Afrikaans)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)note: data represent language spoken most often at home

Religions: Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)

Government

Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

Government type: parliamentary republic

Executive branch

Chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)

Head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 29 May 2024election results: 2024: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed2019: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposedexpected date of next election: May 2029note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch

Description: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral