Statistical information South Africa 1989South%20Africa

Map of South Africa | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year:  | More stats

South Africa in the World
South Africa in the World

Undercover Tourist


South Africa - Introduction 1989
top of page


Background: 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.


South Africa - Geography 1989
top of page


Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:
4,973 km total
Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km


Coastline: 2,881 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation Exclusive fishing zone:200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Elevation

Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use

Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland


South Africa - People 1989
top of page


Population: 38,509,312 (July 1989), growth rate 0%; includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US four independent homelands - Bophuthatswana 2,287,701, growth rate 2.77%; Ciskei 996,457, growth rate 2.89%; Transkei 4,187,559, growth rate 4.23%; Venda 639,947, growth rate 3.88% six other homelands - Gazankulu 713,244, growth rate 4.01%; Kangwane 536,093, growth rate 3.65%; KwaNdebele 337,227, growth rate 3.32%; KwaZulu 5,158,425, growth rate 3.64%; Lebowa 2,600,481, growth rate 3.93%; Qwagwa 768,641, growth rate 2.50%

Nationality: noun - South African(s; adjective - South African

Ethnic groups: 73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian

Languages: Afrikaans, English (official; many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana

Religions: most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 35 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 53 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 66 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50% of blacks literate

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


South Africa - Government 1989
top of page


Country name: conventional long form: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA

Government type: republic

Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein

Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa)

Dependent areas

Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)

Constitution: 3 September 1984

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: general suffrage limited to whites over 18 (17 in Natal Province) and to Coloreds and Indians over 18

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government State President Frederick W. DE KLERK (since 6 September 1989, previously Acting State President since 15 August 1989)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILZSG, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC - International Whaling Commission, IWC - International Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO, WIPO, and WMO suspended or restricted)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at 3,051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 232-4,400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York; US - Ambassador Edward J. PERKINS; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone Õ27å (12) 28-4,266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg

Flag descriptionflag of South%20Africa: actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


South Africa - Economy 1989
top of page


Economy overview: The relatively large and developed economy, based on mining and manufacturing, is more comparable to Western developed countries than other African countries. Manufacturing is the most important sector, contributing 22% to GDP in 1986. Mining, finance, insurance, real estate, business services, and domestic trade sectors are next in importance. The mining and agricultural sectors are more significant to the economy than suggested by GDP data, with both sectors being major employers. Almost 65% of exports come from mining, with gold contributing about 40%. In 1987 real GDP rose an estimated 2.6%, and early indications of a good agricultural year and higher mineral prices suggest continued modest growth in 1988. The high unemployment rate of 15-20%, particularly among black workers, is expected to continue as long as the economy grows less than the annual 5% needed to absorb new entrants into the labor force.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, fruits, cattle and dairy products, sheep and wool; self-sufficient in foodstuffs

Industries: mining (world's largest producer of diamonds, gold, chrome), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs

Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (FY87)

Labor force:
11,000,000 economically active; 34%
services, 30% agriculture, 29%
industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985)

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 19% (1987)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $18.9 billion; expenditures $23.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.8 billion (FY89)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $18.5 billion (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: gold 40%, minerals and metals 23%, food 6%, chemicals 3%
Partners: US, UK, FRG, Japan, other EC, Hong Kong

Imports: $15.3 billion (c.i.f., 1987)
Commodities: machinery 27%, chemicals 11%, vehicles and aircraft 11%, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals
Partners: US, FRG, Japan, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.1 billion (March 1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1 - 2.3866 (January 1989), 2.2609 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2686 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)


South Africa - Energy 1989
top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 34,232,000 kW capacity; 155,000 million kWh produced, 4,025 kWh per capita (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


South Africa - Communication 1989
top of page


Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


South Africa - Military 1989
top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $4.1 billion, 15.2% of central government budget (FY89)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


South Africa - Transportation 1989
top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 947 total, 814 usable; 115 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 209 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 275,684 GRT/273,973 DWT; includes 7 container, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker

Ports and terminals


South Africa - Transnational issues 1989
top of page


Disputes international: administers Namibia until implementation of UN Resolution 435 on 1 April 1989

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


Suntransfers.com


You found a piece of the puzzle

Please click here to complete it
Suntransfers.com